


Should Time Stop

by May Greene (btsmee)



Series: The Inevitable Flow of Time [1]
Category: EXO (Band), 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bar/Pub, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Fluff and Angst, I'm Bad At Tagging, Jin Wears The Pants, Jungkook Is a Brat, M/M, Main pairings: Namjin & Yoonmin, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sorry Not Sorry, The two main pairs each get their own, There are two timelines, Yoongi Is Bad at Feelings, eventually
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-12
Updated: 2016-11-01
Packaged: 2018-08-08 07:36:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 37,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7748962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/btsmee/pseuds/May%20Greene
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes, time freezing when you first see your soulmate’s eyes really  <i>really</i> sucks. Just ask Seokjin. Or Namjoon. Not Yoongi, though. No one’s really sure what the hell happened with his soulmate, but man, it must’ve been pretty fucked up. We don't talk about it.<br/>Don’t ask Tae or Hoseok, though. They’ll both spout a bunch of bullshit about how  "magical" it is, and all that. Even Jimin sorta agrees with them, but I mean, come on, look where this whole stupid system got <i>him</i>.<br/><br/>In which there are frequent shenanigans, an abundance of alcohol and coffee, and endless sass.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Winter 2015

**Author's Note:**

> PAY ATTENTION TO THE DATE ON EACH CHAPTER.  
> Okay, besides that, expect people from other fandoms? They like to randomly appear and then not leave... Whoops.  
> Also, if you see this:  
> *****  
> Click it! This was originally posted on sites that allow pictues, so there is a picture for every chapter. Whoop!

[*****](http://s426.photobucket.com/user/beedledoo/media/Story%20Pictures/CWFOOrPUAAAxhIa.png.html?sort=3&o=2)

“The usual?” she asked, hand poised over a cup, pen ready to scribble what he knew was an all too familiar order.

“Ah, Eun-ji-ssi, you know me too well,” he grinned.

“Maybe if you weren’t always _here_ , Park Jimin-ssi.” Well, perhaps that was true (Not _always_. Just a couple nights a week. Every week), but he had no desire to change his habits, regardless.

“You would miss me,” he crooned, eyes curving into crescents, smile widening as he teased her.

“You wish!” she exclaimed, feigning exasperation as she handed him his change and shooed him away.  

“Thaaanks!” he stuck his tongue out, then skittered off down the counter to wait for his drink before she could yell at him. Jimin exchanged a few friendly words with the owner as he waited - still unable to get over the pink apron the guy wore to work - and accepted his steaming cup, breathing in the comforting scent of caramel and coffee and that extra boost he needed after a long Monday at the office.

Wandering lazily towards his usual seat by the window, Jimin allowed his gaze to drift around the room. He recognized many of the inhabitants, fellow regulars, but there were always new people as well. The cafe was relatively new, the owner only in his twenties, and with his knack for cooking and coffee making, the place was quickly gaining popularity, especially amongst those who craved quiet, cozy atmospheres for reading or working.

Placing his coffee and the satchel - _satchel_ , not _purse -_ hanging from his shoulder on the elegant wooden table, he sat, nestling comfortably into the soft, frosty blue cushion adorning the seat. Glancing outside as he pulled a worn book and large, retro square framed reading glasses from the bag, he noted the busy streets of Seoul moving past, the dark sky watching over it an unwelcome reminder that it was getting closer to the end of another year - _another year and still no soulmate._ Jimin quickly pushed the thought away, turning instead to hang his satchel from the back of the wooden chair.

His dark eyes were obscured by soft brown hair as he looked down, picking up the volume and opening to where he had last left off. Coming here was one of his favorite parts of the week, and one he would never give up, because of _this_. The moment he could slip into his book, surrounded by the the hum of voices and clinking of glassware, enveloped in the aroma of coffee and sweets, and occasionally - just _occasionally_ \- glance up hopefully. Of _course_ he didn’t _really_ expect anything special to come from _occasionally_ (okay, fine, maybe more frequently than he would like to admit) peering out the window, at the people passing by, but one never knows when _the one_ could wander past, and one really ought to be _aware_ of their surroundings… right? Right. Of course.

But it was the end of another year, and today Jimin somehow forgot to glance up from his book every once in awhile - he was just so _drained_ , and it all just seemed so _hopeless_ sometimes - and so he didn’t notice the man walk by. Didn’t see him stride up to the entrance. Didn’t look up until the door swung inward, followed by the cheerful chime of the bell, excitedly announcing a new arrival, which in turn was followed by a crisp grey suit, slightly ruffled but mostly perfect blonde hair, and dark eyes, glancing down at a watch. Dark eyes that made the whole world stop the moment Jimin looked at them. And he was entirely unprepared for how _quiet_ it was.

The stillness made him shiver as he glanced around at the eerie scene before his eyes. Not a finger moved. Not a sound came from the previously gently bustling cafe inhabitants. Motionless figures surrounded him, cups still touching lips, forks halfway to mouths, hands hanging in the air. He understood what had happened, but his heart began sprinting towards some unknown finish line anyway. Because today of all days, Jimin had been unprepared. And perhaps that was why. The universe, or some God, or whoever it was that controlled this goddamned system, had waited for him to stop paying attention.

He breathed, a sharp intake of air relieving lungs he hadn’t realized he had been starving, and then suddenly he was moving, his feet carrying him forward. Jimin was unable to even remember when he got up, unable to pinpoint the exact moment he had dropped his book and _stood_. Yet he here was, face to face with a stranger he had been waiting his whole life to meet, and somewhere in the back of his mind, he worried, idly, if his heart was going to beat straight out of his chest. He couldn’t quite place where his feet had gotten so much confidence because his stomach was twisting and his palms were sticky with sweat and he was in front of this stranger he had been waiting his _whole life to meet._

Jimin closed his eyes, once again inhaling sharply, then did his best to slowly exhale, repeating the process until each breath was even and deep and he felt he had some semblance of control - despite that his life had just been complete and utterly and irrevocably turned upside down and shaken and nothing would ever be the same and - _God. Pull it together Park Jimin. It’s not the end of the world. What are you so nervous about?_ He took one last breath to steel himself before he allowed his eyes to flutter open.

_Oh._

Well. _Oh_ was perhaps an understatement. Because _damn._ Fate had taken its sweet time, but… but _damn,_ he couldn’t find it in himself to complain. Because up close, Jimin could see that standing before him was some unearthly being. He had to be. The stranger had dark eyes that seemed to draw Jimin forward, though they were still spellbound and staring at that watch, thin pink lips that somehow gleamed and invited him another step, another _inch_ closer, tempting him to close the distance, and cheeks flushed pink still from the chill winter air outside, contrasted against milky white skin, so smooth, so enticing, Jimin could just reach out and _touch_ it, cup it, gently caress where the curving jawline reached his ear, where his bottom lip was just slightly pouted.

Jimin couldn’t quite remember when he took another step forward, couldn’t quite pinpoint the exact moment he leaned in, hand cupping the delicate face, but Jimin found himself just a few centimeters away from this… this ethereal being.

 _Wait, what am I doing?_ Eyes widening, he stumbled backward, dropping his hands from that pearlescent skin and instead grounding themselves on a table he very nearly collided with in his rush to retreat, surprised by his own impropriety and audaciousness.

 _Okay… okay, it wasn’t_ that _bad._ He wasn’t some creep, and he hadn’t strictly _done_ anything. He was just overreacting in every possible way, and he knew it, and he just needed to… needed to calm down.

 _Coffee. Coffee would be_ great _right now,_ he concluded, turning slowly and weaving towards his seat by the window. It was silly, and perhaps the reason he was always up so late, but one sip of the coffee, and the warmth from it seemed to seep into his bones and comfort him. He was fine. He was _allowed_ to think of this guy as some beautiful, unearthly deity. He was supposed to find him attractive, and handsome, and it was okay that the way his hair was parted drove him a little crazy, and the way his skin had felt, and the way his lips were pouted and… _goodness_.

He sighed, finally laughing at himself and allowing himself to feel the onslaught of _crazy_ that this guy seemed to dredge up in him. He let his emotions rise and fall as they wished, twisting and knotting and creating butterflies that wouldn’t seem to stop fluttering against his insides. He was giddy with it, and that was perhaps what finally gave him the courage to sit up, brush his hand through his tousled brown hair, and take a deep breath. Because he _wanted_ to keep feeling this… this whirlwind of emotion that this stranger had let loose in him.

 _No. Not stranger_ , Jimin thought, as he breathed out and felt that indescribable yank in his stomach that he had always heard of. _Soulmate._

And then the world was moving once more, and noise filled the air, and the stranger - _soulmate_ \- looked up, right into Jimin’s eyes. But another feeling swept over him, one he was entirely unprepared for. Because in life, with time flowing, the man seemed to transform. No longer a god but a fierce, albeit beautiful, predator, and Jimin felt unnervingly like prey.

He wasn’t entirely sure what to do with that.


	2. Winter 2015

[*****](http://i426.photobucket.com/albums/pp342/beedledoo/Story%20Pictures/12.jpg)

A number of things lead to that particularly unimportant moment, and later Yoongi would sometimes wonder if the universe, or some god, or whoever created this fucking _shit_ system, had done it on purpose. Had purposely lead him to that moment when he locked eyes with that entirely unimportant stranger, nestled in a seat by the window. Locked eyes with an entirely unimportant stranger despite that he almost never went out, and yet somehow… somehow he had ended up here. Somewhere he had never been. Experiencing this moment that couldn't possibly matter.

 

***

 

It had started with his coffee machine that morning, spitting out a few last vestiges of life before refusing to make a single ounce more. And he had taken a deep breath, willed himself to be patient - he didn't _need_ coffee, just really fucking _wanted_ it. He would order a new machine later.

But then more inexplicable things began piling up, and he didn't quite notice until his patience was worn utterly thin. He had a multitude of paper cuts, a small knick on his jaw that still stung from where he had cut himself shaving that morning, a few thin burns marring stripes into otherwise perfectly smooth, pale fingers, shards of a broken plate swept impatiently into the trash, a phone dropped on the counter after a frustrating call from his soon-to-be-boss asking him to come in for a meeting later that day, and finally a dark computer screen reflecting disheveled hair and a look of quiet fury in a now dark apartment. And he snapped.

The power was out. Of course the power was out. Maybe it was a blessing that he had been struggling in front of that damn screen, unable to write a damn word for the past hour anyway. Maybe. But he didn't think so.

Shoving his chair back, barely noticing when it tipped backward and crashed against the dark hardwood floor, Yoongi stomped out of his workroom, snatching his bag with his laptop as he went, and a grey suit from his bedroom before storming out of the building, needing to escape the damn place.

 

***

 

A few hours later, after a terse conversation explaining to his best friend _why_ exactly he had shown up at his apartment unannounced and looking like a trainwreck (suddenly unsure himself, he muttered something about a power outage), after a shower, and a final meeting about salary and work and other annoying things, after he was just so _done_ and desperate for _something_ to calm him and go right for once that day - was that too fucking much to ask for? - after everything, he headed toward the one place he knew he could at least get a decent cup of coffee.

But it was cold - the year was coming to an end, after all - and all he had on was that goddamn suit, and so when he entered the cafe, puffing a sigh of relief, he knew his cheeks were still flushed from the frigid air that had pierced right through him on his way. Hearing the door chime as it swung closed behind him, he took stock of the cozy atmosphere inside, the aroma of coffee and pastries, the gentle murmur of voices, and he instinctively glanced down at his watch, wondering how late it was and if he had time to sit down and maybe try working _here_ for a while.

Suddenly feeling an odd chill up his spine and a strange warmth on his cheek, Yoongi glared up sharply, making unwanted eye contact with a man nestled in a seat by the window. After a moment, what had been a smile adorning the handsome face looking up at him slowly turned to a look of uncertainty, and Yoongi wasn't sure why he was even still looking. Sure, the guy looked pretty good in those glasses, and yeah, his casually ruffled brown hair and loosened tie and well fitted dress shirt would have been just a tad bit attractive, _were_ he interested - but he wasn't. He was having a shit day, and so he broke the eye contact like it had never existed, strolled up to the counter like nothing had happened, ordered a drink as if he couldn't still feel a pair of eyes on his back.

 _Really, what is this guy's problem?_ Yoongi had finally felt like his day might be taking a turn for the better, but now… It was _rude_ to stare, and it's not like the guy was trying particularly hard to be subtle about it.

He was waiting for his drink, holes still being burned into the back of his head, when he finally lost his patience for the second time that day. Turning, Yoongi glared vehemently at the stranger, and the man finally had enough sense to blush and drop his eyes to the volume in his hands. It was fortunate that he had, too, because Yoongi had been about to give him a piece of his goddamn mind if he hadn't, and that probably wouldn't have been very good for business.

“Yoongi, you came!” Momentarily distracted, Yoongi turned to look at the man behind the counter, who was dressed in his ridiculous pink apron, as per usual. “Oh, shit, you look pissed. What happened?” The man grinned, and Yoongi had a sneaking suspicion that he got some kind of sick pleasure from his pain.

“Nothing, Jin-hyung. And I told you I would come eventually.”

“Uh-huh, sure. I opened _months_ ago, Yoongi,” Jin pointed out accusingly as he pouted and handed Yoongi his Americano, wisely prodding no further into the younger’s business. “Then again, it's a miracle that you came out in public at all, Mr. I'm-Too-Lazy-To-Do-Literally-Anything-But-Write-Music,” Jin mused. “I'm proud you've come this far,” he wiped a nonexistent tear from his eye, pretending to sniffle. “So, what brings you out of the house, Motionless Min? I know it's not my coffee.”

Yoongi rolled his eyes at the stupid nickname and ignored the question, instead growling, “Who's the guy by the window?” He jerked a thumb backwards, barely concealed frustration coloring his voice, “He's been staring at me like he's expecting something or something, and it's fucking rude is what it is.”

Jin’s eyes shifted to where he had pointed. “Park Jimin? The kid in the glasses? I don't know,” he shrugged nonchalantly. “He's my younger brother's friend, though Jimin’s a couple years older, I think. They dance at the same studio, and he's a regular here at my cafe. Real friendly type. Maybe you've met before, but you've forgotten? One night stand on a night you couldn't remember, perhaps?”

Yoongi snorted at the jab, “Not likely. Thanks for the drink, hyung.” Turning on his heel, he quickly scouted out the furthest seat from Jimin and made his way toward _that_. If there were holes in his suit from all the piercing glances he received on the way, though, he swore he would make this Jimin guy pay. Yoongi had finally visited Jin’s place because he needed to relax and work in peace and thought maybe the change of scenery would spark some fresh creativity. He had even actually kinda _liked_ the place, in the split second before he made eye contact with Park Jimin.

 _Ugh, whatever._ He pulled the laptop from his black messenger bag and settled down, trying once again to work. He was supposed to be writing a song, one that included more than just his usual rap, but lyrics seemed to escape him, leaving him even more frustrated than before. Struggling in front of the laptop screen, coffee was his only solace through it all.

 _This is going fucking nowhere._ Yoongi glared at the screen in front of him. _You need to get past this writer’s block, Min Yoongi, or what are you going to do when you begin work on Wednesday?_ He scolded himself. _This is going to be your_ job _now._ He frowned at the thought, mixed emotions flowing forth as he considered once again what he had gotten himself into. He was an underground rapper and he _liked_ being an underground rapper, but this job had been knocking on his door for a long time now, and he knew the offer wouldn't last forever. Besides, he thought maybe, just _maybe_ , it would open that door he couldn't seem to push through, _maybe_  he could become known outside of just the underground scene. If groups like Epik High existed, he thought _maybe_ he had a chance.

He was slumped forward, tapping his fingers listlessly, when his thoughts were interrupted by nearly silent footsteps and the telltale smell of caramel and coffee.

“A caramel macchiato is hardly coffee, you know. You should get something with less sugar. Watch your figure,” he suggested, only looking up at the unwelcome visitor when he heard a small gasp of surprise. No one snuck up on Min Yoongi.

“Uhm, oh. Hi. No. I'm not really worried about my figure, so sugar doesn't put me off,” Yoongi thought he caught a slight smirk twisting Jimin’s lips.

 _Fucking… oh. Well. Valid point._ Looking more closely at the guy, Yoongi could see where the muscles in his arms and chest pulled just slightly at the cloth of his button up, where his slacks filled in a little too nicely, and there was just no way to argue with that, so instead he snapped, “Well, what do you want then?”

Flinching slightly at the hostility and biting his lip as he nervously pushed his glasses farther up his nose, Jimin suddenly seemed to have lost the confidence he wore just moments before when he blurted, “Right, look, I'm sorry, I don't mean to bother you, but, I-I had to ask…” he paused, looking down as his ears turned bright pink, before jerking his head up again. “Did you not experience that earlier, too?”

“Experience _what?_ ” Yoongi crossed his arms in resigned frustration, leaning back in his chair. “All I've experienced is you staring holes into my damn back this whole time.” Jimin’s entire face flushed a very appropriate red, and he once again dropped his eyes to the coffee cup he was fiddling with.

 _He better fucking blush._ Yoongi waited for his response, determined to get an answer, and watched his face in the silence that preceded whatever explanation he would give. Yoongi’s eyes flicked to Jimin’s loosened tie, once again noticing his _chest_ , before hastily moving on to the coffee cup in his hands. _He_ would _be a fucking sweet tooth. And damn his stupid figure._

“Time stopped.”

Yoongi froze. This was… well shit, this wasn't what he was expecting at all. In retrospect, he had no idea what he _had_ been expecting, but definitely not… _this._ Because everyone knew what those words meant. And Jimin’s eyes suddenly seemed to he pleading with him, unsure and so incredibly _desperate_ , and then his lips seemed to be pleading with him as well, and it took Yoongi a fraction of a second to focus on what he was hearing.

“…I don't understand. The moment I saw you, time stopped. W-wha… How could I be the only one?” -or at least, Yoongi was _fairly_ certain those were the words, and the confusion and hurt in Jimin’s eyes seemed to fit. Slowly processing the situation, Yoongi began to soften - though not… completely. Because he didn't want to hear those words. He didn't want to hear a _damn_ word about time or soulmates or any of that. There were some walls he had no interest in breaking, and for a moment he actually felt a twinge of pity for the guy.

“Look man, I'm sorry,” he said gently, carefully, “but I felt nothing. You must be mistaken.” And while he really hadn't felt anything, he felt a small prick of fear and guilt because he knew that statement wasn't _completely_ true. It wasn't that Jimin _must_ be mistaken, just _probably_ was. But Yoongi squashed the thought before it could take root, uninterested in tangling with the possibility and instead studying Jimin’s face as the latter frowned at his feet. Jimin seemed to be… wrestling with something? Before Yoongi could make heads or tails of the emotions flitting across the other’s face, however, Jimin looked up, and they were all replaced by a quiet fire in his eyes that Yoongi hadn't been expecting.

“Can I at least invite you out sometime?”

“No.”

And then the fire was gone, and Jimin looked some mixture of lost, injured, and just completely taken aback by the immediate, curt response. Yoongi knew he was being a _bit_ of an ass, so he continued, more gently this time, “Look. You seem nice. But I'm really not interested in starting anything right now, and I'm not really a social being to begin with. You probably wouldn't like me anyway. The time freeze thing was probably just a trick of the light or something. So, uh, I'm sorry, but I do hope you find your actual soulmate.” Yoongi couldn't quite look Jimin in the eyes as he said it, but glanced up as the latter straightened, a carefully blank look smoothing over his face as he nodded.

“Alright, well, sorry to have bothered you,” Jimin bowed and gave him an awkward smile, turning to walk away before twisting back a moment later. “Ah, I forgot to introduce myself earlier. Park Jimin,” he offered a hand, small but solid, which Yoongi hesitantly accepted, noticing how thin and pale his own fingers looked in comparison - and definitely _not_ how warm Jimin’s hand felt against his own.

“Min Yoongi.”

Then Jimin was bowing once more and striding away, and Yoongi was definitely not - _not -_ feeling an ounce of curiosity or regret, because at least that much of what he had told Jimin was true. He had no interest in starting something with someone, and he wasn't social, and Jimin probably wouldn't have liked someone like him anyway. Besides, he really hated the goddamn system that supposedly lead Jimin to him to begin with.

Yoongi breathed an exhausted sigh, feeling drained as he watched Park Jimin gather his things from his table by the window and walk out the door, and most likely out of his life for good. Allowed a wave of relief to wash over him as the door shut, and he was left alone - or as alone as one can be in a cafe surrounded by people - and it was comfortable, and familiar, and _easy_. And as he turned back to his laptop, already decided on forgetting the unimportant stranger, he caught the lingering scent of the sweet coffee he had held in his hands throughout the entire exchange, and it sparked something unexpected in Yoongi. Turning back to his laptop, his fingers flew across the keyboard and a stream of lyrics filled what had been a blank screen just moments before. When the flow finally ebbed to a satisfying halt, he placed a simple title at the top.

_Coffee._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo... this is definitely still ongoing, but I've decided to start throwing chapters up here as well. I must hate myself -___- But, this is my favorite site for reading fanfics, and it just felt so wrong to not be posting mine here as well. Will try to catch this up to where it is on AFF (if you're impatient, I have the same username for both sites, and the story is called the same thing, so you can go ahead and find it on there). I know this is barely two chapters in, but PLEASE. Comments are ALWAYS welcome <3 As are kudos and subscribes, so feel free to do either of those as well. Also, if you want to yell at me (it's a little early on for that, but I mean, hey, I won't begrudge you that joy), you can find me on tumblr at http://btsmee.tumblr.com/ (it also has links to all of my various other accounts, including AFF and Here! Whoop). Lol, anyway, its 4am and I have work tomorrow (today, fml), so I'm gonna go to sleep. Thanks for reading! <3


	3. Fall 2014

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOTICE THE DATE.

[*****](http://i426.photobucket.com/albums/pp342/beedledoo/Story%20Pictures/82cc59887e249e97fa7706a588dead01.jpg)

Jin liked to think he had made it pretty clear that he liked a clean apartment, a _calm_ apartment, the kind of apartment where things weren’t chucked around carelessly or haphazardly. So _why_ , he wondered in the split second between a quick, “Hyung, check this out later,” and his body flying forward to catch a disc just before it could meet an untimely end on the linoleum floor, _why_ was said disc flying through the air to begin with?

“Yah, Jungkook, don’t throw things! How on earth would I have ‘checked this out later,’ if it had shattered on the ground just now?” The younger ducked his head sheepishly at the scolding, muttering something about knowing the elder would catch it, and Jin rolled his eyes at the response before finally looking down at the disc. “Uhm, what is this anyway?”

The younger bounced back up at the question, round smile reappearing instantaneously when he realized he was already off the hook.

 _He looks like a freaking bunny. Ugh, this kid._ It was true, Jungkook had beautifully exaggerated features, and when he smiled, most would agree that he resembled a cute bunny. A cheeky, overgrown sorta bunny. From his wide, dark brown eyes, to his large nose and curved, toothy grin, the kid gave off an appearance of innocence - but Jin knew better than to believe _that._ Jungkook was anything _but_ cute and innocent. He just knew how to act like he was.

“Sorry Jin-hyung. But it’s Rap Monster’s new mixtape! I know rap isn’t usually your style, but I think you’ll like some of it, hyung.” Jin didn’t even try to conceal his snort at such a ridiculous stage name, and looked back down at the CD case skeptically. The jacket photo depicted a handsome face in black and white, which he assumed belonged to the rapper, but it was half covered in what appeared to be dripping black tar. _Perhaps his soul?_ Jin wasn’t quite sure how he felt about it, but his curiosity was piqued, so he finally conceded, nodding.

“Fine. But, clean your room. I don’t care if you’re a busy college student, I let you live here. _Make time,_ ” Jin scolded once again, grabbing his keys from the hook and turning to head out the door.

“Alright, alright. But, where are you going?” Jungkook called after him as he was leaving.

“The grocery store. We need stuff for dinner,” he called back, shutting the door behind himself with a click.

 

***

 

Jin walked into the store, slightly flustered and annoyed at some scammers who had just stopped him, claiming to want to cast him in their new boy idol group.

“You know they were legit, right?” Jin looked up, hand resting on the basket he had been about to pick up. “They were from SM Entertainment. I’ve met them before.” A lanky man stood before him, head tilted slightly, black bangs shifting as a grin spread across his face. His smile appeared open and friendly (borderline goofy, really), but Jin also noticed that his eyes had a subtle, quiet, knowing look.

“Oh, excuse me for not introducing myself first. My name is Jung Hoseok.” He stuck out a hand, which Jin hesitantly accepted, removing his own from the forgotten basket.

“Kim Seokjin.”

“Don’t worry, you don’t have to look so suspicious. I’m not with them,” Hoseok reassured him, “I own a dance studio, and a few of my students have been casted by them before. I also have a friend who works there. You should accept. You’ve got the face for it,” he winked, and Jin couldn’t help but laugh, deciding to trust his words without quite knowing why.

“As if. I may be handsome, but you would just about die if you ever saw me try to dance. I’m definitely _not_ idol material.”

Hoseok shrugged, as if this fact was trivial in the making of idols (and perhaps it was), and winked again - Jin couldn't tell if the guy was being flirtatious or was just naturally mischievous - the smile once again flashing. “Well, if you ever want to be more than just a pretty face, come check out my studio! Don’t worry, I accept learners of all levels, and I do love a challenge.”

“Maybe someday,” Jin chuckled, “thanks though!” After cheerfully parting ways, and nearly forgetting a basket, Jin wandered off to locate ingredients for dinner. _That was all so random… whatever. I’m feeling jjajangmyeon_ _for dinner…_

 

***

 

Jin hummed as he loaded the groceries into his little pink volkswagen beetle. Stepping into the car, he remembered the mixtape, laying on the seat where he had tossed it as he left the house. He picked it up and once again studied the jacket, deciding to listen to it on the drive home. Slipping the disc into the player, he was surprised when the first track opened with peaceful piano notes, soon accompanied by a quietly passionate voice, the lyrics unexpectedly candid.

 _“I didn’t have any dreams…”_ Jin listened, mesmerized. As the last lyric played, he felt unexpected goosebumps up his arms, then shook his head, unsure why he felt so affected. Listening to the rest of the tracks, he chuckled as the next song opened with, _“I hate self-help books more than anything in the world.”_

Some songs appealed to him more, others less, and he had listened to a majority of the CD before pulling into his parking space back home, deciding to listen to the rest whenever he had time. Pulling out the disc and reaching back to grab the groceries, he got out the car and ambled into the building. As he took the elevator to the third floor, where he lived, Jin caught himself singing, “do you, do you, do you,” under his breath, the catchy second track stuck in his head.

Opening the door, arms weighed down by groceries, Jin toed off his shoes and entered the house, tramping into the kitchen to drop everything onto the table.

“What did you get?” Jungkook asked, scratching the back of his head as he slouched in and began rummaging through the bags.

“Stuff for jjajangmyeon, and some meat for tomorrow as well,” Jin watched, pleased with himself, as Jungkook’s eyes lit up at the word meat.

“I knew you loved me,” Jungkook placed his hand on his heart solemnly, eyes just about moon sized as he looked at the elder. Dropping the look for his usual bunny grin, the younger began helping put everything away. “Oh, hyung,” Jin glanced back from where he was shoving gochujang into a cupboard, Jungkook having paused after shutting the refrigerator door, “Jjajangmyeon will have to wait. We’re going out tonight. My friend Taehyung said he knows of a club that's supposed to be pretty lit. I know it’s not really your thing, but you should come, it’ll be fun!” he insisted, jumping up to sit on the white countertop.

“Sure, I’m down,” Jin said easily, amused as the expected look of pleased surprise appeared on the younger’s face. “It’s been a while since I went out, and all the preparations for the cafe have been stressing me out. I need a night to relax,” Jin explained, leaning against the counter next to him.

“Wait, for real? Yaaas, I’m glad you’re coming,” Jungkook clapped him on the shoulder, grinning. Although Jin was five years older, and often played the role of mother in the apartment, he enjoyed the closeness the two shared. Jin was grateful their parents had allowed Jungkook to live with him while in college, as the younger was fun to have around - albeit a bit messy and sassy as well.

“Let’s go get ready. You are _not_ going out like that.” Jin opened his mouth to protest, then snapped it back shut as he glanced down at his worn jeans and long pink shirt. So maybe he wasn't exactly _club_ ready.

“Alright, alright,” he conceded. “But don't take five billion years this time.”

“I'm notthe one that made us an _hour_ late to Hyosang’s birthday last year,” Jungkook retorted as he jumped off the counter.

“Oh my goodness, that was _one_ time, and it wasn't my fault I had _nothing_ to wear because _someone_ threw their new red sweater in the wash with my _whites,_ ” Jin threw his arms in the air in mock exasperation.

“Oh please, like all of your stuff isn't pink anyway,” Jungkook snickered as the two strolled down the hall to their rooms.

Jin glared as he opened his door, growling “Only _most_ of it,” which was followed by a mischievous grin and a quick “Hurry Kookieeeeeee,” slamming the door before the younger could reply.

“And _I'm_ the younger one here,” Jungkook muttered as he rolled his eyes and pushed into his own room.


	4. Fall 2014

[*****](http://i426.photobucket.com/albums/pp342/beedledoo/Story%20Pictures/TheBarBoys2.png)

Two figures wandered down the streets of Seoul late at night, the glaring lights of the city illuminating their path as they made their way home after a successful evening performing. The taller padded forward, sporting black leather pants, a matching jacket, and white hair, contrasted with his lightly bronzed skin and in a style reminiscent of a rooster comb, while the shorter sauntered forward in ripped black jeans and a plain t-shirt, complimented by a similar leather jacket, with his white hair worn loosely flat, and small black hoops glistening on his ears.

The shorter glanced up at his companion, noticing his slumped shoulders and slow pace, a familiar sight as of late. He hesitated.

“Namjoon..." Yoongi reached out and placed a gentle hand on the taller's shoulder. "What's up?"

“I dunno” Namjoon mumbled as he tucked his hands into his pockets and shrugged noncommittally, kicking a pebble. Yoongi stared at the rock as it bounced off a trashcan, then looked up, studying Namjoon’s face.

They were both underground rappers, and had stuck together since befriending each other in high school. Yoongi wasn't the best with these things, but he also wasn't a dumbass and could tell when something was off - he could even guess what.

“Is this about soulmates?”

Namjoon flinched slightly. Yoongi did his best to keep his exasperation in check because really, what else would it have been about?

“Yaah, don’t get down about this,” Yoongi turned and pushed Namjoon’s shoulder, making him stop and face him. “You know there’s someone out there. There’s someone for everyone.”

“But what if-”

“No. Don’t go overusing that big brain of yours,” Yoongi commanded, gently shaking Namjoon’s shoulders. “Your goddamn stellar IQ doesn’t mean you know everything. Let life take its course without stressing yourself out so much. No amount of doubting on your part will change anything.”

Namjoon shrugged off Yoongi’s hands, pushing past him.

“Easy for you to say. You don’t care about these things,” he muttered and started forward once more. Yoongi stared at his back, considering hitting him. After a moment he sighed and hurried to catch up, softening as he watched the brooding figure of his best friend.

Namjoon was the smartest guy Yoongi knew. He had been in the top one percent of students in the nation back in high school, and had made a name for himself in the world of underground music soon after. On stage, he was Rap Monster, the tough rapper who could spit lyrics like fire, and refused to take shit from anyone. Yoongi sighed, a light smile touching the corner of his lips.

 _Yet here he is. Tough my ass. If only they knew what a softie he really is. Mmm, even Rap Monster worries over love._ Yoongi chuckled quietly to himself, and slung his arm around his friend’s shoulders, making a sudden decision he knew he wouldn't much like, but that might successfully take Namjoon’s mind off things for a while.

“Hey, let’s go get a few drinks,” he grinned, flashing a rare smile, gums showing. Namjoon eyed him suspiciously- Yoongi hated going out. “Yah, don’t give me that look! Even I like to go out every once in awhile,” Yoongi asserted, jutting his chin forward defensively. He paused, his expression softening, “I know there’s nothing I can do - there’s nothing anyone can do, really - but I worry about you, man. Let’s take our minds off things. I know you had wanted to go home early tonight… but come on. Drinks on me.” Yoongi could tell Namjoon was surprised by the sudden sincerity, but his lips quirked up in a grateful smile anyway, and he hesitantly nodded, giving in. Yoongi lightly punched his shoulder.

“Good. Come on, it’s been a damn good night! We had that place _lit_. Brighten up. Let’s go!” Yoongi did his best to act excited, and he knew Namjoon only pretended not to know it was an act. Yoongi rarely did anyone favors, and Namjoon knew well enough to simply accept and appreciate the gesture.

“Where are we going?” Namjoon asked as they started forward once more.

“G-Dragon’s place, it’s usually still poppin’ at this time.”

The other nodded, and as they headed toward the popular bar, Yoongi nonchalantly slipped his phone out of his pocket, stealing a glance at Namjoon out of the corner of his eye.

**To: G-Dragon**

Hey man, you at the bar tonight?

**From: G-Dragon**

Of course Suga bb, wuz good? ;)

**To: G-Dragon**

I have a favor to ask of you…

 

***

 

“Heya cuties, what can I get for yah?” the rainbow haired man behind the counter winked at Yoongi and Namjoon as they walked up to the bar.

“Sup, G-Dragon-hyung,” Namjoon greeted him casually, the two clasping hands and bumping shoulders, clapping each other on the back. G-Dragon then turned to Yoongi, smirking.

“Well Suga, you’re looking sweet as ever. Miss me much?” he purred, leaning in and stroking a finger underneath Yoongi’s chin seductively. Yoongi swatted his hand away, returning the smirk as a tall figure loomed up behind G-Dragon, grabbing him by the waist.

“Yah. None of that now,” he said, deep tone and masculine profile unmistakable despite the dim lighting.

“Hey T.O.P.-hyung” Yoongi nodded to him then turned back to G-Dragon, allowing a touch of annoyance to color his voice, “And don’t call me Suga. Leave my stage name for the stage.”

G-Dragon raised his hands, “Suit yourself.” Turning, he pecked T.O.P. on the lips and strolled away to help a customer, slapping the former’s butt as he went.

T.O.P. chuckled, brushing a hand through his tousled black hair, “Can I get you guys drinks?”

“Shots of soju, please,” Yoongi requested, slouching into a bar stool.

“I’ll just have a beer,” Namjoon protested, taking a seat as well.

“That won’t do,” T.O.P. shook his head, pouring them both shots of the stronger soju, winking as he passed them over. Namjoon sighed and accepted the drink, resigning.

“Cheers,” Yoongi lifted his glass towards Namjoon, the two friends clinking their glasses before throwing their heads back and downing the alcohol, grimacing at the taste. T.O.P. quickly pushed two more shots towards them, Namjoon failing to notice that Yoongi’s was less than full.

Before they could down the second round, G-Dragon returned, followed by a handsome man in a burgundy leather jacket, ruffled brown hair brushed away from his face, and looking a bit nervous. Yoongi couldn't help but wonder where he had found the guy, given such short notice, but let the question slide; it was usually better not to question the workings of G-Dragon.

“One more shot of that please, Cutie,” G-Dragon sashayed up to T.O.P, sliding an arm around his waist and slipping a hand into the back pocket of his pants. T.O.P. obligingly poured another glass, winking coyly at the new arrival as he pushed it towards him.

“Thanks” he smiled awkwardly, taking the shot and the seat next to Namjoon.

“Yoongi, Rapmon, this is my friend Suho. I invited him to come have a good time tonight, but we ended up being busier than I anticipated,” G-Dragon pouted, puffing out his cheeks. “So please, take care of him,” he suddenly flashed a mischievous smile before once again disappearing down the bar. T.O.P. and Yoongi exchanged a look before the latter turned back to his companions, plastering on a smile.

“Well then, welcome! Let’s drink.” The three downed their shots, T.O.P. quickly supplying yet another round, and once again not quite filling Yoongi’s. They continued on in this manner until Suho and Namjoon were comfortably tipsy, conversation flowing easily between the two. Yoongi had slowing drifted back, allowing the two to become absorbed in each other’s company.

“Well, that was easier than I thought it would be,” G-Dragon reappeared, leaning against the counter.

Yoongi nodded, “He’s been a bit out of sorts about the whole soulmate business, I figured it was about time to get him a little action. Who’s the guy?”

G-Dragon handed Yoongi a beer, which the latter accepted gratefully. “Just another hunk I know. And they don’t call him Su-Hoe for nothin’. His soulmate left him, and since then he’s been in the habit of finding hot, one night replacements,” G-Dragon wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, but his expression quickly turned to one of pity. “I feel kind of bad for the guy, honestly. He’s actually a total softie. I can’t even imagine… I don’t know what I would do if I ever lost Seung-hyunnie…” he trailed off, eyes following his man as he moved about the bar, serving drinks and interacting with customers.

Yoongi simply hummed a response, sipping his beer. He was surprised to hear G-Dragon refer to T.O.P. by his actual name; the two usual went by their nicknames in public.

 _Soulmates are so weird. I don’t get it. Why should time stopping mean the person is right for you? What the hell kinda system is that anyway? Obviously it doesn’t always go right if Suho’s left him._ Yoongi took a swig from his bottle, frustrated. _Why are people so obsessed with this?_ He continued drinking, glancing at Namjoon and Suho, who seemed to be getting closer by the minute. _These two seem to be having a perfectly good time together. They’re even both softies, apparently, despite appearances. Why can’t they be together? Why can’t they be soulmates?_ Yoongi was becoming increasingly more agitated, especially because it was a topic that caused his friend so much grief. He lifted the beer to his lips, only to find it empty.

“Ugh. Yo, hyung, can I get another shot?” T.O.P. strolled over, raising an eyebrow.

“An actual one, this time?” he inquired, tilting his head.

“Please,” Yoongi groaned, beginning to feel the light blanket of alcohol envelope him, but wishing it would settle in faster

“If you say so,” T.O.P. complied, passing him a glass. Yoongi picked it up, looking at the clear liquid and grimacing.

“Why am I such a good friend?” he lamented, throwing back the alcohol then glaring at T.O.P, who was giving him a knowing look that he didn’t appreciate. “Just get me drunk, bitch.”

Lips twisting into a smirk, the elder soon had another shot in front of Yoongi. Glancing back at Namjoon as he downed it, Yoongi nearly choked on the alcohol as he looked just in time to catch Suho pull Namjoon in for a kiss. Giggling-  _chuckling._ Min Yoongi did not  _giggle-_  Yoongi appreciated the buzz he was feeling.

_Well, at least that worked out as planned._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: That first scene was actually the first I wrote, and it originally involved Jackson Wang instead of Yoongi. It was Horribly written. But, I sometimes wonder how different things would be if Jackson had remained, you know? Anyway, just thought I'd share that random tidbit. As always, thanks for reading!


	5. Fall 2014

[*****](http://i426.photobucket.com/albums/pp342/beedledoo/Story%20Pictures/MyPartyBoys.jpg)

"Hyuuung, are you ready yet?" Despite his earlier teasing, it ended up being the elder who took the longest to get ready, and Jungkook was left waiting impatiently on the couch for him to finish.

"Yeah, yeah, coming." Jin walked into the small living room, lightly flicking the back of Jungkook's head as he passed the couch. The younger turned to glare at him, then changed his mind, realizing what had taken the elder so long.

"Ooh, hyung, you look sexy," Jungkook wiggled his eyebrows at him suggestively. "Who are you trying to impress?"

"Ha. Nobody. I just always look this good," Jin smirked and leaned down to pinch his cheeks. Clad in a red and black blazer, his red tinted hair styled carefully to appear messy but sexy, and clearly having put time into makeup meant to look like it _didn't_ take forever (but obviously did), Jungkook had to admit that everything was pretty damn on point. But Jungkook didn't feel like boosting his ego.

"Sure hyung," he rolled his eyes instead, rising from the couch.

"Do you have your cellphone? Is it charged? Have you eaten at all? It's bad to drink on an empty stomach, you know. Do you need a snack? I'm gonna go grab one," Jin suddenly fussed, pausing before they could leave. Jungkook stared at him, never failing to be astounded by his sudden transformations from cool, handsome hyung, to fussing eomma Jin.

"Yes. Yes. I snacked. No thank you," he replied, shaking his head in wonder and watching as Jin bounded to the kitchen to grab some snacks. Coming back, still in the midst of shoving food in his mouth, Jin nodded, indicating he was ready to leave. Flipping the light switch as they left, the two brothers strode out the door, ready for an evening of alcohol and dancing.

 

***

 

"Jungkookie!" a deep voice boomed out over the din of music and countless drunken voices.

“Taehyung-hyung!” Jungkook had spotted the man waving at them, returning the gesture as the other beamed at the brothers’ approach. His smile was kinda box-like. Cute, Jin noted.

Taehyung rose from his place at the bar, holding a beer and a man slightly shorter than himself. Jin couldn't help but admire the pair. Taehyung had silver hair with lavender undertones, a leather jacket, and a confident air about himself, while the second man had a longer face, reddish bronze hair, and a wide smile. The bronze haired man seemed terribly familiar, but Jin couldn’t place why.

As they reached the bar, Jungkook and Taehyung grinned at each other before proceeding to perform a complicated series of odd twisting movements, leg kicks and some hand flailing that Jin couldn't quite keep up with but presumed was some strange handshake. Upon completing the peculiar greeting ritual, Jungkook turned to the man who Jin was still struggling to remember - because he knew, he _knew_ that he had met the guy somewhere - and offered a more normal handshake.

"You must be his soulmate. I’m Jeon Jungkook.”

And then it hit Jin like a brick - how on earth had it taken him so long? - and he bounced forward without thinking, pointing at the man who had been about to reply. “Oh, oh, OH. Jung Hoseok-ssi! We just met at the grocery store today! I knew I recognized you. You changed your hair, though, it totally threw me off. Also, sorry, I totally just cut you off, didn't I?” He trailed off as Taehyung and Jungkook both turned to look at him, eyebrows raised in matching looks of surprise. Jin ran his hand through his hair sheepishly before the two turned back at Hoseok, who simply waved it off good naturedly.

"Small world. And yeah, I actually had an appointment to have it colored almost immediately after we met. Kim Seokjin-ssi, right? I didn't expect you to be Tae's bestie's hyung. How old are you, then?”

“Ah, I’m much older than Kookie. I'm turning twenty-five this year. Also, call me Jin.”

“Oh, you’re older than me! I’m twenty-three. I guess that would make you my hyung,” Hoseok buzzed happily. Though Jin might usually be bothered by such presumptuous familiarity so soon, he somehow couldn't find it in himself to mind. Hoseok felt bright, and warm, and somehow comfortable. He found himself chuckling and nodding instead.

“Alright, well, now that we all know each other, let's drink!” Hoseok exclaimed, clapping his hands together, then gesturing for everyone to grab seats at the bar. “Beers? Or would you prefer to kick this evening off with something more exciting? Soju?”

Jin shook his head at the devilish grin on the younger’s face. “Let's start off easy, yeah?” he chuckled. “Wouldn't want to get _too_ plastered before we can even have a good time, and Kookie here is a lightweight-”

“Am not!”

“-So, it's still early, let's start with a few beers. We can get wasted later,” he finished with a wink.

“A reasonable man, I see. Alright, beers for now,” Hoseok’s smile widened and he turned to call out to a rainbow haired bartender, “G-Dragon-hyung, can we get a round of beers over here?”

“Of course, Hobi baby” Jin watched as G-Dragon slinked towards them, blatantly checking them out as he approached. Stopping on Jungkook, he gave the maknae a sultry look, raising an eyebrow and biting his lip, “And what’s your name, kitten?”

“Jungkook,” he replied curtly.

Pouting at the evident disinterest, G-Dragon handed each of them a beer. “Hobiii, why’d you bring one that sexy if he’s so cooold?” he sulked, earning a chuckle from the other.

“I didn’t, Tae did,” he said, pulling Taehyung against himself and planting a kiss on his cheek as the younger giggled. “But calm down. Your boy toy is over there anyway,” Hoseok jutted his chin in the direction of another bartender that Jin hadn't noticed before. He was tall, broad, and handsome, and seemed to be making his rounds, ensuring that every glass was full.

“True,” G-Dragon watched him for a moment, smirking, “Damn, I can’t wait to tap that fine ass later tonight.”

“Oookay, that’s enough, go help someone else,” Hoseok wrinkled his nose, shooing G-Dragon away. They watched him traipse off before awkwardly glancing back at each other. Hoseok was the only one who seemed unfazed, despite being the one who sent him away. “Sorry about that. He’s always like that. T.O.P. is his soulmate, but neither of them mind flirting around or random hookups,” Hoseok rolled his eyes, “they’re weird.”

“How do you know them?” Jin asked, Hoseok’s mutual familiarity with them piquing his curiosity.

“Well, you see, Tae and I were looking for partners to have a four-so-”

“HYUNG,” Taehyung quickly interjected, ears and cheeks flushing red, and his eyes shooting daggers at Hoseok. “We met them here. Hobi had seen them around, because this is a pretty popular bar, and they of course own it, and his dance crew used to come here a lot. That’s all.”

“Oh, I see…” Jin awkwardly nodded, taken aback by how open Hoseok was. _And he called G-Dragon weird…_

As they continued chatting, however, both Jin and Jungkook were quickly drawn in by Hoseok’s bright personality, complemented by the even odder Taehyung. After a story detailing the events of the time the latter talked Jungkook into participating in a harebrained attempt at crashing every room in a noraebang venue (and actually managing to convince many of the inhabitants to allow them to participate in a song with them, before getting caught and kicked out), the entire group was trying to keep their sides from splitting, tears of laughter rolling down their cheeks.

Jin was confounded by the existence of Taehyung and Hoseok, both making rather ridiculous - though incredibly friendly - characters, and was hardly surprised that they were soulmates. Taehyung was constantly making odd faces and gestures, while telling the most delightfully horrifying stories, goofing off and completely comfortable in his own skin, and Hoseok seemed to never stop laughing, dancing around and making jokes. Their liveliness was infectious - as were the drinks - and Jin and Jungkook were soon goofing around as well, the laughter from the group never ceasing. Time and alcohol flowed easily.

“So, how did you two meet?” Jin inquired, tipping forward slightly and tilting his head, grinning.

“Ah, well, you already know I own a dance studio, right? Tae came to be a student. It was love at first sight,” Hoseok swayed, cackling at his own joke, and Taehyung picked up the thread, rolling his eyes.

“I’m actually an elementary school teacher - I love children - but I used to dance a bit back in high school. Given that my job doesn’t take _too_ much time - thank goodness I don’t teach high school - I decided to pick it up again as a hobbie. When I heard that an old member of Neuron - they’re actually quite well known underground, you know - owned a dance studio, I figured that would be the best place for me to get back into it. And you know how it goes from there. I walked in, time froze, I decided to stick around,” Taehyung smiled his box smile, pulling Hoseok in for a quick peck. Turning back, he winked at Jungkook, adding, “Also, Jungkookie, I know you aren’t interested in soulmates or anything, but there’s this really cute guy at the dance studio that I think you might like. And I _know_ you can dance.”

“Are you talking about my Jiminie? Don’t you think he would be a bit much for Jungkookie?” Hoseok frowned at Taehyung, clearly doubting the suggestion.

“Kook is friends with me, isn’t he?” Taehyung shrugged. “It was just a thought.”

“Don’t worry, I’m _definitely_ not interested in anyone, I’m pretty certain I’m not gay, and I don’t think I would have time to commit to dancing. I just started college.” Jungkook finally interjected, dismissing the idea with an airy wave of his hand and an overexaggerated nod, falling against the counter slightly.

“Alright, alright. But speaking of dancing, what’re we doing here? Let’s get out there!” Hoseok practically fell out of his seat, pulling Tae, who quickly turned and grabbed Jungkook, out to the dance floor. Jin laughed at the little unsteady chain they formed until he was suddenly jerked forward by Jungkook’s hand latching onto his shirt.

“Hyung, you aren’t getting out of this,” Jungkook grinned his bunny smile as Jin stumbled forward, caught in their momentum. Realizing he had no other choice, he accepted and Jungkook released him, trusting the elder to follow.

Jin, of course, promptly lost them in the crowd.

In his defense (not that anyone would remember this perfectly well later on anyway) Jin appeared more sober than he was. He figured it stood to reason, then, that the alcohol was the one to blame.

He did manage to find them, after a bit of pushing and shoving and wiggling his way through clusters of humid bodies, but that was also perhaps because of the alcohol. Frankly, they were hard to miss. Jin had seen Jungkook dance, but  _this._ And Taehyung and Hoseok were just on a different level entirely.

The trio was earning stares. Not only were they tipsy and shameless, none of them were kidding when they said they could dance - especially Hoseok. Jin caught them at the end of a song that had resulted in intense popping or locking or whatever it was they called it, and watched as they transitioned to something closer to physical gods, moving sensually to the new music.

Jin caught Hoseok dragging Taehyung in by his collar, heat radiating off the two as the latter bit his lip and slid his hands over the other's hips. Taehyung tipped forward, and their lips locked for just a moment, bodies rolling in perfect rhythm. Pulling apart slightly, they stared into each other’s eyes, some unspoken emotion passing between them, before finally breaking apart, seeming to remember where they were.

Jin looked away, feeling like he had intruded in something he shouldn’t have. Jungkook caught his eye, waving him forward, and apparently oblivious to anything besides the smooth pulse of the music and the movement of his own body. 

“Hyung, come on! Dance!” he giggled. Jin probably normally would've blushed, knowing full well why Jungkook was giggling, but instead rolled his eyes and flapped his hand dismissively. Even tipsy he had  _some_ sense of dignity. 

He was surprised when Hoseok leaned in, eyeing him curiously. 

“Come on! You can’t really be _that_ bad,” he smiled encouragingly, swaying his hips with the music but making a face. “Besides, who cares?” he added, throwing his arms into the air.

Jin caved (he was _drunk_ , he would later reason - though who he was trying to convince, he wasn't sure. So much for "dignity") and started doing his signature move - something he and Jungkook referred to as the Traffic Dance. Arms striking through the air in an almost militaristic fashion, Jin stepped with every swing of his arm, looking uncannily like a man controlling traffic. The two who had never seen the dance before burst into laughter, nearly falling over as the held their sides.

“YAH! I told you I couldn’t dance!” Jin yelled at them, though laughing despite himself (because of himself? Oh god).

“No, no, it’s okay. I’m glad you did. Show me how you do that,” Taehyung straightened up, making a valiant attempt to stop laughing. Jin stepped them through each move, and the four began dancing around in sync, all holding back fits of giggles. Eventually he also showed them his Dislocated Shoulder Dance and Flapping Dance, and they gave up, dissolving into laughter as they tried to imitate the outrageous moves.

“Ah, you’re a funny hyung, you know that?” Hoseok said, wrapping an arm around Jin’s shoulder as he moved his hips to the beat, grinning. 

“Yeah! We should do this more often!” Taehyung agreed, lightly punching Jin’s shoulder. “And _you_ should really come to the studio. It’ll be so much fun! And you’re so good!” he added, turning to Jungkook.

“Ah, maybe. I can’t think of the last time I had this much fun. I kinda miss dancing,” Jungkook nodded, finally caving.

“YAAAAS, JUNGKOOKIE, JOIN THE DARK SIDE!” Hoseok chanted, throwing his other arm around Jungkook. He stopped abruptly, however, a serious look on his face. The others paused, wondering what was wrong. Slowly turning towards Jungkook, Hoseok placed a hand on either of his shoulders and looked at him, eyes widening.

“What?” Jungkook asked, frowning.

“Jungkook… don’t you realize…? With you… WE’LL HAVE KOOKIES!” Hoseok screeched and burst into further laughter. The other’s breathed a sigh of relief as they realized he was just being dumb.

“PERRRFECT, JOIN THE DARK SIDE, WE HAVE KOOKIE.”

The others tried to hold back, instead pretending to groan in pain at his ridiculousness, but it wasn't long before they were all falling against each other, barely holding back mirthful tears.

“Jesus, you guys are weirdos. Not that I'm complaining,” Jin wheezed, shaking his head and chuckling. “But hey, anyone know where the bathroom is? Any more of this and I’m gonna pee my pants.”

“Yeah, it’s over there,” Taehyung gestured to the side of the room, breathing deeply in an attempt to stop giggling. He was failing miserably. 

Jin nodded in thanks and slipped away, already resigned to the fact that he would be peeing regularly for the rest of the night. 

_Who thought giving drunk people a seal was a good idea anyway? Someone dumb, that's who._


	6. Fall 2014

[*****](http://i426.photobucket.com/albums/pp342/beedledoo/Story%20Pictures/JinWOH_2.png)

Namjoon allowed himself to be pulled in, soft lips pressing against his, strong arms wrapping around him, hands hot against his back. He could smell alcohol and cologne, an intoxicating scent in his state of inebriation and desperation. He wanted to feel something - love, belonging - and if this fabrication of emotion was the closest he could get, he would take it. He pulled Suho closer, pressing against the soft flesh leaning into him, and slid his tongue out, gliding along the other’s bottom lip.

The two forgot their surroundings, both drunk and desperate for comfort from the reality of loneliness that would greet them the moment they let this moment pass - or perhaps the evening, if they made it that far.

Just as Suho responded, sighing gently and parting his lips, head tilting to allow Namjoon in, the latter glanced up for a brief moment - and the world froze.

 

***

 

Jin exited the bathroom and wandered through the packed room towards the bar, deciding to grab a few beers, as he was already beginning to sober up. He smiled to himself, thinking about the evening so far.

 _What a small world it is that we live in, that I would meet Hobi twice._ He chuckled, _alright World, now it's time to shrink some more so I can get lucky tonight. A soulmate wouldn't be a bad catch. Ah, but I shouldn't push my luck, I'm happy enough for now,_ Jin thought to himself as he finally made it through the crowd and up to the bar. Glancing to his left he spotted G-Dragon attending to some other customers, so he decided to wait, and couldn't help but admire the man while doing so.

 _Dang, this guy is handsome. And so social! And he doesn't look awkward when he does it... Why was I born awkward? Ah, he's goals for when I open up the cafe. I gotta be like that. Well, except… less thirsty,_ Jin thought to himself, while noticing how the colorful lights of the bar mingled with the other man's hair, making it a technicolor glow as he threw his head back, laughing at a comment from the customer he was helping. _His soulmate is so lucky..._ Jin sighed, then realized, _Oh of course. What did Hobi call him? T.O.P?_

Jin turned, checking to see if the other owner was available, and his eyes fell on a couple kissing that he hadn't noticed earlier. He couldn't see anything but splashes of white and bronze hair, but the two were between him and a man drinking alone while chatting with the man Jin was looking for, both glancing at the couple as they talked. Jin took a step towards them, about to call to get T.O.P’s attention, when the white haired one making out glanced up in the midst of tilting his head - and Jin's heart nearly fell out of his chest.

 

***

 

 _No. No no no no no. Why here? Why now?_ Namjoon had made eye contact with the one person he hadn't thought he would meet - at least not right then, or even that night. Not in the middle of a kiss that should have been with him, the man who had just walked up to the bar, who made his whole world stop, who he knew was his soulmate. Yet here he was. Looking at him. And he knew the man had seen him as well. He was looking directly back at Namjoon.

Everything was still. Awkwardly removing himself from the statue wrapped around him, Namjoon ducked under Suho's arms, cursing his luck.

 _Fuck. I'm going to have to get back into that position before I unfreeze time. UGH. What the hell is with this situation?_ Namjoon turned and glared at the man who was the cause of all his troubles. _You just_ had _to show up now, huh? Where have you been? Why now? FATE. WHY DO YOU HATE ME? HOW DO I EXPLAIN THIS? I'M TOO DRUNK FOR THIS SHIT RIGHT NOW._ He put his face in his hands and sighed, frustrated. _Well, it's too late now._ He lifted his head and finally truly looked at the man in front of him.

He was handsome, and sexy in an almost feminine way, except that he had wide, masculine shoulders and was almost as tall as Namjoon himself. Namjoon's drunk heart skipped a beat and he flushed red, thinking about how much he wanted to instead be having an intimate moment with _him_. He leaned forward, studying the man's face, and lightly traced his all too perfect lips, bolder than he would've been were he sober. He hesitated.

 _I shouldn't. But I want to. They look… juicy? He won't know. Namjoon, you're drunk. This is a bad idea. But I want to. Just one. He doesn't have to know._ Finally, nodding to himself, inhibitions lowered, he leaned in further and cupped his face, gently kissing him.

His soulmate's lips were intoxicatingly soft and moist, but even drunk, Namjoon new to leave it at that. Parting from the kiss, Namjoon rested his forehead against the other man's, fingers lightly brushing through his tinted red hair before coming back to trail his thumb across his cheek one last time.

Breathing in, he noticed the subtle scent of flowers and clean laundry hidden behind the smell of pheromones and alcohol. Perhaps it was the alcohol, or perhaps the inexplicable connection between soulmates, but Namjoon felt at ease in front of this stranger, all his worries and insecurities about finding _the one_ dropping away as he closed his eyes and simply basked in the smell and warmth of the man in front of him. He was half tempted to release time in that position, but knew better, remembering what everyone had been taught since they were little - problems always arose if you didn't go back to where you had been.

Sighing, Namjoon stepped away, the alcohol still muddling intelligent thought as he happily looked at the man. He was ready to release time - he would make it work, despite the situation. He was determined - and they were fated. With one last look, he turned back to Suho, contouring himself back into place against a body that now felt wrong. Namjoon gulped, then gingerly leaned down once again, lips and tongue pressed against Suho's. He took a deep breath, feeling a tug in his stomach, then allowed the wave of sound to wash over him as time sprung back to life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not gonna lie... it feels really good to be evil sometimes X'D So sorry.  
> So, you know how actors will do commentaries on movies and stuff? It would be so fun to do that on here. For example, figuring out how to have Namjin meet was SUCH a struggle. Originally it was just supposed to be weird, but pretty cute, but I couldn't think of an exact scenario, so I asked a nonkpop friend who had no idea what I was writing, and she suggested something along these lines. It was just too perfect to pass up, though not at all cute and sweet.  
> Sorry, I'm weird. Anyway, I'll probably post more chapters in the evening, but @NobuGizmo commented, and it inspired me, so I wanted to post a few right now too ^-^ Hope you all enjoy. As always, thanks for reading!


	7. Winter 2015

[*****](http://i426.photobucket.com/albums/pp342/beedledoo/Story%20Pictures/DanceStudio.jpg)

Jimin dropped onto his worn brown couch, sighing and loosening his tie. It seemed to welcome him, giving softly in the all the right places, already familiar with this routine. Removing his glasses, Jimin rubbed the bridge of his nose, tired from his day in the office where he worked. Checking his watch, groaned happily, relieved to see that he still had an hour before it was time to head to Hoseok’s dance studio for practice. Deciding to take a quick nap, he turned his body, propping his feet on the couch arm, and leaning his head against a pillow. He closed his eyes and almost immediately drifted off.

 

***

 

“Jungkookie, you know it’s Tuesday, right?” The boy in question could hear Jin calling from the kitchen, where he could also smell the dinner the elder was making for himself. Jin was probably craning his neck through the window of space in front of the stove that opened up to the rest of the apartment, like he always did, to check the living room space and hallway for the younger. Well, he wouldn't see Jungkook there, because of _course_ he knew it was Tuesday.

“Yeah, hyung!” he called after slipping on a black beanie and pushing open his bedroom door. “I’m already ready to go.” He reached over the counter from the living room and snatched a piece of food off the stove as he walked past, burning his fingers in the process. Cursing under his breath, he brought his fingers to his lips.

“That’s what you get. You should’ve come out earlier, I would’ve made you something.”

“Nah, I’m not very hungry. I’ll eat when I get back. Make me something, please?” Jungkook asked, doing his best aegyo. Jin rolled his eyes at the display, but Jungkook knew he would say yes.

“You’re not cute. But sure. Because I’m kind-hearted and amazing.”

“Uh-huh, sure you are,” Jungkook snickered, putting on his shoes.

“Yah, I don’t have to cook for you!” Jin threatened, brandishing his spatula.

“But you will!” Jungkook called back as he dashed out the front door. A moment later, he opened it again, popping his head in sideways to grin at the distraught Jin, aegyo on full blast.

“Because you’re the best hung,” he added cutely.

“That’s what I thought,” Jin lifted his eyebrows, once again brandishing his spatula. “Now get going or you’ll be late. And call your boyfriend, I bet he fell asleep again.” Jungkook frowned at the term boyfriend, but nodded anyway, once again shutting the door behind himself.

Heading towards the elevator, he checked his phone. Jimin would have usually texted him something gross and flirtatious by now. Jungkook sighed.

 _This guy. He’s always exhausted after work these days, especially since he got promoted to a writer’s assistant._ Assuming he was asleep, Jungkook dialed Jimin’s number as he left the elevator. He patiently waited for him to pick up as he exited the building, catching the bus that would take him to the studio.

“SHIT. Am I late?” Jimin’s voice suddenly tumbled forth, sounding panicked and half asleep.

“Not yet, but you will be if you don’t get your ass up asap. See you at the studio.”

 

***

 

Jimin pushed open the doors, panting. He made a quick attempt to brush his hand through his disheveled hair, and adjust his hastily chosen sweat pants, relieved to realize he had just barely made it in time. Everyone was still in their own corners, warming up and chatting before Hoseok called everyone together.

Jimin looked around scanning the room for his own group. On one side was the EXO four. They were the eldest members of the studio, all but one older than even Hoseok himself, and they were a bit quirky. The eldest, Minseok, looked the youngest, with full cheeks, frequently spiky or tousled hair, and one of the shortest statures of anyone in the studio. Yixing was closest to Minseok, but he was the tallest of their group, and always appeared suspiciously high. He was one of the most polite people Jimin had ever met, though. Jongin and Sehun were born the same year as Hoseok, though a few months before him and a few months after, respectively. Jongin had bronze skin and a shy face, easily one of the most innocent, but when he danced, he seemed the least so, besides Jimin himself. The youngest had what Jimin liked to refer to as ‘Resting Bitch Face’, or RBF. Sehun was one of the friendliest, sassiest guys, but when Jimin first met him, he thought he seemed rude and aloof. No one was quite sure where the name EXO had come from, but one day it had just appeared and stuck; they even used it for performances and stuff these days. It was best to just not question some things...

In the center, practicing in front of the mirror, was another group, all of whom were in the same age range as as Jimin’s own. He paused to admire them. Mark was trick flipping, something Jimin himself could do a bit of, but their entire squad practiced at it and were much more skilled than he was. Mark was the oldest and most skilled of the group, but there were six others, all relatively friendly, though most older than Jimin himself. BamBam, Youngjae, Jr, Yugyeom, JB… Jimin’s gazed moved on curiously, realizing the seventh wasn’t there.

“Good morning, Sunshine! How nice of you to join us today!” A white haired man in harlem pants and a backwards snapback swaggered up to Jimin from the last corner, smirking.

_Found him._

“Shut up, Jackson. Unlike you, I had work today,” Jimin snapped, still tired and cranky, not in the mood for Jackson’s usual antics.

“Yah, that’s hyung to you. And yeesh, I get paid for gigs, you know. Even underground performers gotta eat, and unlike you, I rap _and_ dance,” Jackson scoffed, pretending to be offended, but his brown eyes glittered playfully.

“Oh, is that what you call your squawking?” Hoseok teased, strolling over in his shorts and bucket hat, and putting Jackson in a headlock. Noticing Jimin’s mood, Hoseok immediately dropped the younger, a concerned look on his face.

“What’s up? And don’t you dare play dumb with me, I'm your best friend and I ain’t stupid. What happened?”

Jimin stared at him, breathing in, then suddenly wailed, throwing his arms in the air, “I met him! I met _the one_ …” he dropped his arms, hanging his head and planting his face into his hands, knowing he looked unexpectedly dejected for someone who had just announced such life altering news.

“Does that mean you’ll stop hitting on me?” Jungkook bumped into his shoulder as he strode up to the group. Jimin looked at him darkly from his hands as Jungkook looked him up and down. “And why do you look so depressed about it? Are they ugly or something? I thought you _wanted_ to find your soulmate.”

“I did… but that’s the thing,” Jimin sighed, rubbing his eyes, “He didn’t believe me. I guess time didn’t freeze for him or something. He thinks I was mistaken. But, I know it froze!”

“Are you sure it wasn’t just a trick of the light or something?” Jungkook suggested.

“That’s exactly what he said,” Jimin glared at the younger. “But I know what I saw.”

“Yeah, the time freeze is something you can’t mistake. It’s unlike anything you’ll ever experience.” The group looked up at the deep voice. Taehyung had silently appeared, and Hoseok nodded at his comment.

“Tae’s right. I’ll never forget that moment.” The couple looked at each other affectionately, probably both remembering the day they met.

“Okay, but what am I supposed to do?” Jimin cut in impatiently. He knew he was completely different from his usual, bubbly, carefree self, and he could see the pity welling up in the faces of his friends. He didn't like it, but he he didn't know what to do either. They looked around at each other, obviously unsure what to tell him. Jackson was the one to break the uncomfortable silence.

“I don’t know, Jimin. I’ve never heard of this happening… I don’t think anyone has,” he said quietly. “But, if he’s your soulmate, you’re bound to see him again. Did you at least get his name?”

 _Oh, of course,_ “Aahh, that’s right! His name was Yoongi. Min Yoongi. Jungkookie-ah, I think he was friends with your hyung! I met him at Jin’s cafe, and I saw them talking when he got his drink…” Jimin trailed off, staring at Jungkook hopefully.

“Actually… wait, yeah. White hair, black earrings, kinda gave off a ‘Don’t talk to me’ kinda vibe?” Jimin nodded eagerly. “Weird. Yeah, I think I’ve seen him like once or twice. I think he’s close to my hyung’s boyfriend, Rapmon.”

“Wait, wait, wait, Rapmon as in Rap Monster? As in your hyung is Rap Monster’s soulmate?” Jackson interrupted, gesturing for everything to pause. “How did you never mention this?”

“I thought I did… but yeah, why?”

“What do you mean, why? Rap Monster is becoming a well-known name in rap! And your brother is _dating_ him?”

“I mean, yeah, I know, I’ve listened to his stuff since before they met… But he’s just a normal guy. In fact, he’s actually kinda weird,” Jungkook scrunched his nose.

“Normal guy? Kinda weird?” Jackson exclaimed indignantly. “Dude, you’re ridiculous and this is hella dope. Introduce me to him sometime,” Jackson begged, grabbing Jungkook’s arm.

“Guys! Can you fangirl later?” Jimin finally cut in, still impatient. “I need help here… what do I do?”

“You met him at Jin’s cafe, and they’re friends, right? Jungkookie, why don’t you tell Jin about it?” Hoseok suggested.

“Excuse me. Are we ever going to get started?” The entire group looked up from their conversation at the four who had just approached.

“Shit, right, I forgot where we were. Annyeonghaseyo, Yixing-hyung,” Hoseok nodded to the one who had spoken and smiled at the rest of the EXO group. Turning back to Jimin and Jungkook, he quickly added, “We can discuss this later,” before walking to the front.

“Annyeonghaseyo Jongin-hyung, Sehun-hyung, Yixing-hyung, Minseok-hyung,” the boys standing around all greeted their elders, bowing respectfully to each. Minseok and Yixing exchanged a glance, the latter nodding silently. To everyone’s surprise, Minseok turned to Jimin, placing a hand on his shoulder and smiling gently.

“Not to be nosy, or creepy, but I think I caught a bit of the conversation earlier, and I think I know of a similar occurrence… would you like to come to my place after this? I make a decent cup of coffee, and I’d love to share in case it’d be helpful for you… I don’t know if that’s weird, but you’re welcome to come.” Jimin stared at him, dumbfounded for a moment, before nodding slowly. Minseok was the quietest of everyone at the studio; he rarely went out of his way to socialize, especially with the youngsters. He looked pleased when Jimin agreed, however, and padded away, followed by Yixing. Sehun and Jongin looked at Jimin curiously before following their hyungs.

“That was… unexpected,” Jackson commented after they had left.

“I wonder what happened,” Jungkook added, staring after the short hyung.

“I have no idea… but come on. They’re gonna start without us,” Jimin ended the conversation, though he was also burning with curiosity. Two hours suddenly seemed like an eternity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the wacky world if dance studio antics BEGINS. I love this setting, because it's always so Fun. Whoop!  
> Also, sorry if you're unfamiliar with EXO... they, uh, actually become increasingly more relevant characters. Whoops... I needed a lot of people? Either way, there will actually be some characters in this story who aren't necessarily much like they are in real life. Sometimes I just need a name and a face, and Something about them fits well enough. So, my deepest apologies if their characterization isn't super true to who they are (tho, BTS I try to characterize correctly... hope I do okay).  
> ALSO. I originally published this using a lot of EXO's stage names (ugh, so much regret), so Here, I changed that. But, if you see a stray incorrect name, I'm so sorry. Kai = Jongin, Xiumin = Minseok, Yixing = Lay, Sehun = Sehun. I left Got7's stage names cus they're pretty irrelevant....  
> As always, thanks for reading! I will continue posting completed chapters throughout the day.


	8. Winter 2015

[*****](http://s426.photobucket.com/user/beedledoo/media/Story%20Pictures/PinkMon.jpg.html)

Yoongi slumped into Namjoon's soft grey sofa, still unaccustomed to not having to shove a mess aside any time he wanted to find a seat. Ever since Jin came into the picture, the apartment stayed relatively clean, there was usually food in the fridge, and Namjoon had never seemed happier - or grossly cuter.

“Whipped-mon, I’m hungry, what’s there to eat?” Yoongi called, not caring where Namjoon actually was, knowing he would hear him regardless. The place was relatively small, despite Namjoon's wealth.

“Go eat your own food, Rude-hyung. And I’m not whipped,” Namjoon grumbled, shuffling into the living room and yawning, his hair a disheveled mess.

“Oh, really? Because I seem to recall your pretty boyfriend being the one who liked pink so much.” Namjoon blushed at the snarky comment. His hair was indeed pink at the moment, and he certainly had more of it hanging in his closet than he ever had in the past. Yoongi rolled his eyes at his embarrassment, not caring enough to put effort into teasing him any further.

“So, food?”

“Jin left some extra bibimbap yesterday. He seemed to know you would stop by. He said you visited him at the cafe and something happened.” Namjoon lifted an eyebrow, a questioning look on his face. Yoongi simply rolled off the couch and slouched into the kitchen, ignoring it. “Are you really not gonna tell me?” Namjoon whined, though obviously not surprised. Yoongi wasn’t very open, even with him.

“There’s nothing to tell. I got coffee, some guy came up and bugged me, and then I got back to writing a new song,” Yoongi opened the refrigerator door, pulling out the promised bibimbap. He took a bite of it cold, scrunched his nose, frowned, and tossed it in the microwave.

“Oh, you finally managed to write? Wait, that’s not important. What did the guy want? Jin said he looked like he was about to cry as he left,” Namjoon crossed his arms and pursed his lips accusingly. Yoongi paused, considering this news. He actually had not known that.

 _Jimin didn’t seem_ that _upset about it. But, then again, I couldn’t actually see his face when he left… but why would he be so messed up about it? Unless… it was true._ Yoongi shook his head at the thought. _He couldn’t be... from that time? No… could he?_

“I don’t know… he said time froze,” Yoongi finally admitted, scratching the back of his head. Namjoon's eyes widened, and a smirk that Yoongi didn't like one bit slowly spread across his face.

“Oh my goodness, you met your long lost soulmate. No. Fucking. Way,” Namjoon chuckled gleefully at the uncomfortable look on Yoongi’s face. The elder could see the moment he finally put two and two together, however, and Namjoon gasped, “Oh my god, wait, you rejected him, didn’t you? The poor, unfortunate bastard got _you_ as a soulmate, and as if that weren’t bad enough, you already went and broke his heart. Goddamn, Yoongi. Just because soulmates broke yours doesn’t mean you gotta run from this forever,” Namjoon scolded. Yoongi flinched at the last comment.

“I can do whatever the hell I want, it’s _my_ fucking life. He didn’t even seem like my type. Why can’t I decide who I want to be with?” Yoongi retorted. “Besides, there’s no guaranteed it’s even true. He could’ve looked at someone else and just _thought_ it was me.”

“No. Trust me. You know exactly who it is. There’s no mistaking that moment. You should know this,” Namjoon shook his head, clearly frustrated by his friend’s stubbornness.

“Well, whatever. Yours didn’t go so smoothly at first either, now did it?” Yoongi jabbed. “Just leave it alone. I’ll decide on my own. I refuse to be forced into this stupid system,” Yoongi yanked the microwave door open, snatched his food from inside, then stomped back to the couch, switching on the tv. Namjoon followed, exasperated. Yoongi remained silent, however, and he could feel Namjoon standing by the couch, watching as he flipped through the channels.

“Anything good on?” Namjoon finally caved after a few moments, giving up and plopping down next to Yoongi.

“Just the usual trash,” the elder muttered, eyes not leaving the screen.

“Mmmh.” The two quickly fell back to their usual routine, bantering and debating about the show on screen that neither of them would ever admit to being completely hooked on, and the discussion was successfully avoided for the time being. 


	9. Winter 2015

[*****](http://i426.photobucket.com/albums/pp342/beedledoo/Story%20Pictures/Xiuhan3.jpg)

Practice ended, the boys having discussed a plan of attack with Jimin during every break. It had been agreed upon that he shouldn't give up, and that he ought to pursue Yoongi, despite the initial rejection, and that they would somehow convince Jin to participate. In spite of this decision, however, Jimin found himself plodding behind Minseok, into the elder's apartment, too curious to tell him that he no longer needed help.

"Heya Baozi."

"Lu-ge!" Minseok squealed.

Jimin glanced up in the midst of removing his shoes, surprised to see a man enter the room, headed towards Minseok. He was even more taken aback by how pretty the guy was, easily surpassing the beauty of most girls, and even more so when he pulled Minseok in for a quick peck before turning towards the astounded Jimin. He had never seen Minseok light up the way he did the moment this man walked in.

"Oh, and you must be the one Minseok mentioned. Welcome, my name is Lu Han," he smiled warmly and offered his hand, which Jimin accepted, still in shock. "Are you okay?" Lu asked, peering more closely at Jimin's bewildered face. Realizing he was being rude, Jimin shooked his head and smiled.

“Sorry. Yes, I'm fine. Long day," he only partially lied, "Park Jimin, nice to meet you.” Lu nodded, a sympathetic look on his face. There was something about him that was slightly off, but Jimin couldn't quite put his finger on what it was. His name, the way he looked, even his speech…

“Oh. Excuse me, but, are you Korean?” he blurted, finally realizing what it was. Lu laughed, surprised.

“No, I'm Chinese. Is it that obvious?” Jimin quickly shook his head.

“No, no. You just didn't look quite Korean, and your name didn't seem it either. Don't worry, your Korean is actually quite good,” he smiled, embarrassed for having asked, but relieved that he had been correct.

“Ah, I see. Well, thanks,” Lu smiled, then turned to Minseok, who had silently blended into the background, as he so often did. “I have to head out, my flight is in an hour.” Minseok nodded, pulling him in for a hug and a longer kiss before seeing him out the door.

After Lu was gone, Minseok guided Jimin into the kitchen, offering him a seat at the island. The room was spacious and well lit, with curious contraptions crowding the back counter that Jimin could only guess the purpose for.

“Would you care for some coffee?” Minseok asked, brightening unexpectedly.

“Uhm, sure…”

“What would you like?”

“What can you make?"

“Mostly anything,” Minseok spread his arms, smiling invitingly. “I've been training to be a barista, as I someday want to own my own cafe, and my mentor gifted me with a hand drip machine recently,” Minseok beamed. Jimin had never seen him so... _confident. Vibrant._

"Well, I usually order a caramel macchiato... are you able to make that sort of thing? I actually have no idea how most drinks are made," Jimin rubbed the back of his neck, unsure of the process or how difficult his request was. He didn’t want to be a burden.

"Definitely," Minseok grinned, and turned around, immediately beginning to pull out syrups and coffee beans, and messing with the contraptions Jimin now assumed would produce the drink.

"So, can I ask what exactly happened?" Jimin looked up from his preoccupation of staring at everything in fascination, only to find that Minseok still had his back to him, working diligently. "I caught a little of the end of the conversation, but not the entire thing." Minseok paused and turned, "Ah, but, you don't have to share if you aren't comfortable with it."

"No... I don't mind," Jimin smiled shyly. He found himself wanting to be closer to this bright hyung. He was more comfortable and friendly than Jimin had anticipated.

Taking a deep breath, Jimin began, "So, there's this cafe I always go to..."

Jimin watched Minseok work as he spoke, the smell of the espresso filling the air, and the elder nodding here and there, occasionally glancing back. Jimin’s ears went a little hot when he caught the elder smiling knowingly as he finished describing Yoongi.

As he came to the end of the short narrative, he looked down, melancholy, "I-I didn't know what to do. He just flat out rejected me... I've always dreamed of finding my soulmate. Everyone does... so I just left. Picked up my stuff and walked out the door," Jimin sighed, dropping his head into his hands. "Maybe that's cowardly, but I didn't know what else to do, and I couldn't stay with him so close... yet so far."

Minseok placed a steaming mug in front of him, nodding.

"I understand," he looked down, smiling wryly at his mug as Jimin took a sip from his own. "I ran away from my soulmate at first, actually."

"Why?" Jimin was surprised. Minseok didn't seem the type to _run_ from it, especially after seeing him with Lu.  "Was it Lu Han?" he added, because if it wasn't, that would certainly explain it.

"Yes, it was-” _Well, there goes that theory-_ “And because I was afraid." Minseok pulled up a chair for himself and sat opposite Jimin, blowing on the hot liquid in his cup before taking a sip and continuing. "As you figured out, Lu is Chinese. It's uncommon to have a soulmate from another country, but it happens, and I found myself frozen in time at a movie premiere in China. I was just visiting Yixing, he still lived there at the time, and the moment I saw Lu, I thought, _Ah, well, fate hates me. I can't be with this guy,_ " Minseok chuckled and glanced down at his cup before looking back at Jimin, another wry smile on his face. "Lu is famous in China. He's an actor and a singer, and I had the misfortune of seeing him for the first time while he was on the red carpet, at the premiere of a movie _he was in._ " Jimin's jaw dropped in wonder and sympathetic horror. "I doubted he would ever even see me in that crowd. I wasn't sure I wanted him to either."

"Why?" Jimin asked as Minseok paused to take another sip. Placing his mug back on the counter, Minseok looked at the ceiling, as if the answer could be found there.

"Well... as I'm sure you've noticed, I don't tend towards the spotlight. Lu is a celebrity. That's a very big spotlight, and I knew if I became involved with him, I would probably be dragged into it as well, and also lose a lot of privacy." Minseok shrugged, "I didn't want that. And I wasn't exactly a fan of the soulmate system either. So. I thought it all through, in my little frozen moment, and I decided to let him go, without trying to grab his attention. I unfroze time and just continued as I had been, going through the evening as if nothing happened, enjoying the movie, then returning to Yixing's place, never mentioning it to him. I was a bit disappointed, but I felt I had made the right choice." Jimin nodded, sipping the rich coffee as he listened, absorbed in the story.

"But, just like everything else, that didn't go as planned. As I was preparing for bed that night, I found a note in my pocket," Minseok's lips pulled up at the corners, a slight smile playing across them. "It was in Chinese, which I wasn't very good at at the time, especially reading it, so I had to go have Yixing read it for me. Oh, his response was golden," the corner of Minseok’s eyes crinkled as he laughed fondly at the memory. _He has a cute smile_ , Jimin noted, still absorbed. "It simply said, 'I saw you,' Lu's phone number, and his name. Yixing flipped. He of course recognized the name, and immediately began questioning me. So, I admitted what had happened, and begged him for some advice, explaining why I had avoided it to begin with," Minseok leaned back in his chair, once again staring at the ceiling, wry smile twisting even further. "He convinced me to text Lu."

"We agreed to meet up for coffee, in secret of course, as he couldn't be seen in public with some random guy. So, we met up, talked, and in the end, I told him I didn't want to be together. He understood why, but begged me to at least be friends, as he had so few outside of work, being in the entertainment industry. Eventually, I agreed, but warned him that I lived in Korea, so hanging out wouldn't be a frequent thing. He accepted that, and we went our separate ways," Minseok paused here, taking a long drink from his coffee and seeming to be debating how to explain the rest while Jimin waited patiently.

"After that... it was a long time before I saw him again. But, he started texting me frequently, whenever he needed someone to talk to. I didn't mind, and began doing the same.We got along well, and quickly became close friends, even occasionally seeing each other if ever we were in the same country. But, it was always as friends, and we were content that way," Minseok once again stopped, tilting his head back and closing his eyes.

"Then one day, it hit me. Someone had convinced me to go on a double date, and my date was nice, but I found myself wishing it was Lu and his playful personality the whole time; he’s quite dazzling, really. He always has over-proportional reactions to everything, it’s- ah, well, anyway, I came home that evening, and as I contemplated everything, I suddenly couldn't understand why I was still running. I already knew he was my soulmate, and he had also become my best friend."

"I called him right then. I lied and said I had plans to be in China soon, and we agreed to meet up. I booked a flight _after_ the call," Minseok chuckled. "I had him meet me at our favorite cafe, and I confessed right there, telling him what a fool I had been. God, I love him so much. I was afraid he might reject me, but he just pulled me in and hugged me, and he cried, and we laughed, and decided we would somehow make it work." Minseok looked at Jimin, a triumphant look on his face.

"And we did. But, anyway, the reason I'm telling you all this is because I was Yoongi, and if Lu had come on more strongly right away, I probably would have pushed him away, because I was already set in my decision."

 _Oh. I came on too strong…_ Jimin felt his ears warm up as he looked down, unsure what to say.

As if able to read his thoughts, Minseok jumped up, quickly adding, "Ah, I don't mean you already have! It sounds like you handled it really well, actually. But, I think, in future pursuits... perhaps try easing into? He sounds pretty set on not looking for a soulmate, so yeah, friendship is a good place to start..." Minseok hesitated before carefully adding the next part, "But, you can't expect anything from him, either. Should you choose to invite him into your life as a friend, you can't expect anything more than that. It may develop into something more, but there's a chance that it won't. Be prepared for either outcome," Minseok finished gently, and Jimin could feel him watching carefully as he fiddled with the now empty mug in his hands. He slowly nodded, considering all he had just heard. Minseok placed his elbows on the counter, resting his chin on his hands, apparently suddenly remembering the unique element of Jimin's situation.

"I'm not sure what to tell you about him not experiencing the time freeze, as I've never heard of that happening either, but my guess would be that he did experience it, just maybe not right then. Think about it, Lu could have easily not seen me that night, and he would never know that time froze for me. Your Min Yoongi probably saw you, it just may have been a long time ago." Minseok twisted his lips to one side, "Who knows."

"I guess you're right," Jimin said slowly, looking up at Minseok, and for once it was his mouth that curved into a wry smile. "I guess I have a lot to think about."

"Sorry for lying that all on you like that," Minseok said guiltily. "I just figured my own experience might be helpful for you to hear."

Jimin shook his head, reassuring the elder, "Don't worry, I appreciate it. It's a lot to think about, but it definitely is helpful."

"I'm glad to hear that. If you ever need anything else, know that you're always welcome to ask," Minseok replied kindly as he stood up to take Jimin's empty cup and place it in the sink, along with his own.

"Thanks, hyung," Jimin smiled back gratefully.

 

***  


Dropping onto his bed later that night, Jimin sighed, covering his face with his hands. He and Minseok had continued talking for a while after the soulmate discussion, but he eventually had to leave, as it was getting late. Now, as he was lying in bed, he couldn't stop thinking about the pale face that had been the cause of all of this. He couldn't decide the best way to tackle the problem; head on, as was the original plan, or more subtly, as Minseok had suggested. Minseok's idea about being friends seemed more likely to work, especially with what he had seen of Yoongi, but Jimin knew his own personality tended to come on a bit strong. The only conclusion he could seem to come to was to sleep on it and figure it out the next day. Thoroughly exhausted, he tried to fall asleep.

The curves of Yoongi's eyes, his soft milky skin, the way his hair fell just barely above his eyes... Jimin's breath caught at the unbidden image and he could feel his heartbeat accelerating. His mind seemed to have plans other than sleep.

 _Damnit Yoongi. And why do I always drink coffee so late? What am I thinking? And how the heck does Minseok sleep?_ Between the coffee and the Yoongi, Jimin eventually accepted that he would not be getting sleep any time soon, and hoisted himself out of bed, wandering to a different room.

Opening the door, he stepped onto the cool wooden floor inside, glancing at his tired reflection in the wall of mirrors to his right. Outfitted with large speakers in every corner, and a new stereo system, Jimin had created his own mini dance studio for himself. It was his sanctuary, a place for him to destress, find peace, and escape his thoughts.

Padding up to the stereo, he popped in the disc of music they were currently working on at Hoseok's studio, and closed his eyes as music filled the room. Stepping to the center of the room, he looked at himself in the mirror, taking a deep breath.

Then he began, losing himself to the rhythm and the fluid movement of his body.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special Note On "Lu-ge"  
> "Ge" (哥) or "Gege" (哥哥) is the Chinese equivalent of "hyung" (which means older brother, but is also used by males for other older males that they are friends with. It's an honorific. If you have questions about honorifics, do ask. I've done a bit of research, so I know a little). As any EXO fans are aware, Minseok is actually older than Lu Han, so many may question why I would have Minseok refer to Lu Han as Lu-ge. In fact, in real life, Minseok has referred to Lu Han this way on various occasions, namely in EXO Showtime in the first episode, and again when they are on their way to the beach. The first time it just seems to be a cute thing, after the boys made a silent agreement about choosing each other to be the most handsome (which Lu Han instigated), the second time is when Minseok wants Lu to buy him something. Lu refused everyone else, but when Minseok asked, he just told him to call him "hyung" (Minseok is the only one older than Lu Han, so he wouldn't normally), and Minseok instead used "ge" (Lu Han really is Chinese, btw). Baozi (which is a Chinese steamed bun) is Lu's cutesy nickname for Minseok, so it seemed appropriate for Minseok to act cutesy and call him Lu-ge.  
> (In case you couldn't tell, I totally ship this. Tho... HunHan is also a great ship. The struggle is very real).


	10. Winter 2015

[*****](http://i426.photobucket.com/albums/pp342/beedledoo/Story%20Pictures/YoonMinFinalWorkAesthetic.jpg)

Yoongi stretched his limbs, reveling in the softness of his mattress before wriggling further into his siberian white goose down comforter, no desire to get out of bed. Peeking out from his haven of warmth and comfort, he glared at the little red digits insisting it was time for him to get up. There was nothing he hated more in the morning than his alarm clock.

Groaning, he finally kicked his blankets off and slumped out of bed, toes sinking silently into the moroccan shag rug adorning the dark hardwood floor. Shuffling into a pair of worn slippers, he made his way to the bathroom, boxers the only other article of clothing on his pale body. Yawning and scratching his head, he proceeded to brush his teeth before jumping in the shower. He couldn’t stand feeling like his body was clean while his mouth still smelled of morning breath, so teeth always came first.

Stepping out of the shower when he was finished, Yoongi wrapped a silk towel around himself, using another to partially dry his hair. After blow drying it and applying a bit of product, he styled it into a neat part and was about to step out of the bathroom when he paused, considering his reflection. He reached up, fingering the small black hoops hanging from his ears, unsure whether or not to remove them. He hadn’t been told he needed to, and they were relatively inconspicuous, so he decided to leave them be. He felt naked without his earrings.

Returning to his room, he stepped into his walk-in closet, choosing a black blazer and an oxford blue top for his first day in the office.

 _Hmph, Sihyuk-hyung better not leave me with an incompetent assistant,_ Yoongi grumbled to himself as he slipped his arms into the sleeves of the blazer, padding to the kitchen in the process. Finished dressing, he checked his reflection in a set of floor to ceiling windows occupying an entire wall, ignoring the still dark morning view of Seoul splayed out below, already accustomed to it’s splendor. Satisfied with his outfit, he turned back to the spacious room, debating whether to eat now, or grab something on his way to work. Checking his watch, he opted for the latter, not in the mood to deal with a mess or put in any real effort so early. Grabbing his keys and bag off the black marble island counter, he left, knowing just where to stop on his way.

 

***

 

Jimin walked into the building, dressed in a clean white button up and black slacks, his usual attire for the work day. Steaming coffee in hand, chocolate brown satchel hanging from his shoulder, he greeted everyone he passed, his usual smile already plastered on his face. He rode the elevator to the fourth floor and made his way to his desk, dropping his belongings onto it and relaxing into his seat.

“Annyeong! New boss today,” Jimin looked up at the grinning figure leaning against the wall of his cubicle, returning the smile. The man had curly brown hair, brushed into neat waves, a lean figure clothed in a grey button up and slacks, and was shorter than even Jimin.

“Annyeonghaseyo, Jongdae-sunbae. And I know, I’ve heard he’s really good. CEO-nim has been trying to get him for a while now, apparently. He better not be a total ass, though” Jimin groaned as he said the last part, leaning back and holding his chest, feigning pain. “I don’t know what I would do.”

Jongdae snickered wickedly, “Yeah, good luck. Geniuses are rarely nice. But I mean, hey, who knows, maybe he’ll like you and you can move up in the food-chain around here. Just don’t suck,” Jongdae teased, sticking his tongue out.

“Sunbae, don’t jinx it!” Jimin whined jokingly. Just then, the head secretary, a woman in her late forties who worked for the CEO himself, sent for Jimin.

 _Wait, the CEO? Why is he dealing with this directly? Isn’t this someone in the personnel department’s job? Maybe the guy knows the CEO personally? Oh god, but why do I have to go see them both?_ His stomach fluttered nervously and he rose, glancing at Jongdae with a look of mock panic before walking to her desk, situated just outside of the CEO’s office.

“Annyeonghaseyo,” he bowed politely.

“Annyeong. You may go in, he’s waiting for you,” she smiled kindly, gesturing towards the door. Jimin nervously stepped up to it, surprised at how large the knot in his stomach had grown in just a few minutes.

 _Calm down, it’s not like you’ve never met the CEO before. And your new boss can’t be_ that _bad. It’s fine. You’re fine,_ Jimin comforted himself with a quick pep talk before knocking.

“Come in,” a voice drifted from the other side of the door, and Jimin gulped, hesitantly pushing it open. As he stepped inside, he made eye contact with the man sitting across from the CEO.

_Oh. Oh my goodness. It’s him._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehehe, I kinda love office Jongdae. Oh and for people not super into EXO, Chen = Jongdae.  
> Anyway, I'll continue updating later, but the next scene goes back to 2014, so this seemed like a good place to pause. Hope you're enjoying it thus far! Sorry it's a lot of quick updates, it's cus this was all already written. Chapters usually take me a couple of weeks to publish (I'll warn you if it's gonna take much longer than that).  
> Readers give me life, so seeing interest is so uplifting. I love to chat up a storm, so feel free to comment (and if you don't want to chat, that's okay, you can still leave brief comments :3 I'm not always super social either). As always, thank you so much!


	11. Fall 2014

[*****](http://i426.photobucket.com/albums/pp342/beedledoo/Story%20Pictures/JustWokeUp.jpg)

“Hyung, where did you go last night? Why did you leave?” Jungkook asked, sitting at the kitchen table and yawning, his hair still sticking up in random places from sleep.

“I wasn’t feeling well, so I just came home,” Jin shifted nervously in front of the stove where he was cooking breakfast.

“Oh… you shoulda told me, I would’ve come with you.” Jungkook rubbed his temples, “It probably would have been good for me, too. We drank way too much after you left.” He frowned, “ I think I kissed G-Dragon.”

Jin nearly choked as he was overcome by a fit of giggles, “Oh my god, not gay my _ass_ . Gees, I’m glad I didn't text you till after I was gone, it sounds like you had a _fun_ time.” Jin tapped the younger under the chin as he set the food on the table and took a seat, “G-Dragon’s pretty cute, huh?”

Jungkook snorted. “More like bi, we both know I’d prefer a female soulmate, and yeah, he’s hot, but he’s a hoe and a taken hoe at that,” dismissing the subject, he piled up his plate. “So, what did you think of Hobi-hyung and Tae-hyung? Wait, I don’t remember, had you met Tae before?” Jin shook his head, cheeks bulging with food. “Ah, well, we should go out with them again,” Jungkook shoveled food into his mouth. “Mm, alsho, I’rm gorna joim Horbi’s dernce shtudio.”

“Don’t talk with your mouth full. And you’re actually doing that? I thought you said you didn’t have time? You better not start slacking in your studies,” Jin eyed Jungkook threateningly.

“Hyung, would I ever?” the younger placed his hand on his heart, pretending to be appalled at the thought.

“Yes, you would. Don’t try to act like you’re any good in school,” Jin scoffed. “I don’t know why you didn’t go to school for the arts. We both know that would’ve suited you better.”

“Who are you, my mother? Besides, you know eomma and appa would’ve worried. Everyone wants to be a _‘star’_ ” he made quote marks in the air sarcastically. “Besides, I think I worried them enough by doing what you did and getting my military service out of the way immediately after high school. And anyway, as far as the arts go, look at _you_. Weren’t you supposed to be pursuing acting? What happened to that?”

“I still go to auditions every once in awhile, I just care more about opening the cafe. Acting isn’t as important to me anymore,” Jin replied simply, unfazed. “I found something else that I love and that I’m good at.”

“Hm, true, you’re food is the best… But I think you shouldn’t give up on acting,” Jungkook added slowly, a peculiar look on his face as his eyes flicked up to look at the elder. “You’re good at it.”

Jin froze slightly before swiftly taking another bite to cover it up and humming in response.

_Does he know I lied about last night? But… how could he?_

“Water?” Jungkook rose suddenly, picking up a glass.

“Yeah... sure.”

“So, dance is Tuesdays and Thursdays, I think. I promise I won’t start slacking, hyung,” Jungkook’s eyes flicked up to the elder’s face once more as he set down the water.

“Alright… thanks.”

 

***

 

Namjoon woke up bleary-eyed, in a bed far too comfortable to be his own, and swathed in rich, soft blankets. Sitting up, he rubbed his eyes, confused and disoriented, unable to remember how he got there or where he was. It seemed kinda familiar… Fuck _. No... I didn't… did I?_  Sliding off the bed, he stumbled to the door, fighting with the doorknob in his still half asleep state, panic rising in his chest.

Finally managing to swing the door open, he stepped out into a familiar hallway, and relief flooded his still groggy system. _Oh, thank god.  But why am I here?_ Namjoon pressed his lips together, the corners slightly down turned, wracking his utterly hungover brain for memories of the night before. As he tugged at shreds, it slowly began trickling back, then came flooding all at once, and all he could do was groan, horrified. The image of the man permeated his thoughts; as he turned away, tight lipped and slightly pale, his back as Namjoon ran after him without a word of explanation for Suho, his absence when he was nowhere to be found, and then finally, Yoongi holding Namjoon as he was overcome with drunken, wracking sobs.

“You just gonna stand in my hallway all day?” Yoongi padded towards him, already dressed in a plain t-shirt and ripped jeans. “And put on some clothing. I know you keep some stashed here for days like these.”

Namjoon looked down, realizing for the first time that he was dressed in only his plaid blue and green boxers.

“Oh. Right. I’ll go do that. But you put me in the wrong room, you know. It freaked me out a little.”

Yoongi waved it off as he padded away, “I didn’t, T.O.P. did. You think I could haul your ass all the way up here?”

Namjoon's eyebrows disappeared into his now flat hair as he lumbered towards the room he usually crashed in, deciding to question Yoongi about that _after_ he had some clothes on.

Stepping inside, he was momentarily distracted by the exact reason he had initially claimed this room as his own (or, as much as it could be his own when he didn't actually live here). He wandered past the luxurious bed to the far side of the room, pressing his fingers gently against the glass of the floor to ceiling window that made up the entire wall there. His troubles were momentarily forgotten in the face of Seoul’s skyline, which never failed to take his breath away. He preferred his own simple apartment to Yoongi’s grand penthouse, but this… this he wouldn’t mind seeing every day.

After a few moments, Namjoon finally turned away, sighing as his stomach twisted with anxiety. He quickly opened the closet and slipped into a simple black shirt and striped pants, impatient to interrogate Yoongi for any information he might have, then scurried down the hallway, following the telltale scent of coffee wafting from the kitchen. Sliding into the bright room in socked feet, he stumbled when he noticed the two other guests lounging on tall, elegant stools at the island.

“I mean, I know you’re in a rush to see me, but slow down, Cutie, you’ll fall.” G-Dragon gave him an amused look and T.O.P. chuckled behind him.

“More like you’re going to break something. Please, stop sliding around and just sit before you destroy my house,” Yoongi grumbled, setting out a mug of coffee for the new arrival.

“I wasn’t going to break anything,” Namjoon muttered defensively, slouching into one of the stools and grabbing his cup. “And what are you two doing here, anyway?”

“Getting you to the top floor of this building wasn’t easy, you know,” T.O.P. raised an eyebrow. “Someone had to do it.”

“Yes, Suga was a dear and let us crash here in exchange for hauling your ass up to his lovely penthouse,” G-Dragon added, smiling coyly.

“Oh… right. So, what actually happened last night? I remember some stuff, but apparently not… everything.”

“Well, that would be because we stashed you in a back room while you were crying your eyes out about the soulmate boy or whoever, but when we came back to get you, we found your sorry ass nursing an almost empty bottle of soju. Pretty sure you were pretty damn gone at that point,” G-Dragon explained brightly then took a sip of his coffee. “Suga, why are you Suga if you don’t like sweets? _Why_ am I drinking black coffee?” he asked, screwing up his face in disgust.

“Don’t call me Suga, and because you didn’t ask for creamer or sugar. I do have some, cause this guy uses it,” Yoongi jerked a thumb towards Namjoon before turning away to locate the sweeteners. The younger was sitting quietly, staring into the black depths of his mug while contemplating what he could have possibly done in his past life to deserve the fate he had received.

“So, tell us about him,” T.O.P. prodded, which finally got Namjoon to look up.

“Huh?”

“The soulmate. It _was_ your soulmate right? And it _was_ a guy? You weren’t making much sense last night,” T.O.P. trailed off, looking at the distracted Namjoon expectantly.

“Oh. He uh. Smelled like clean laundry. And flowers.”

Everyone stared at Namjoon silently and he finally fully returned from his thoughts, realizing what he had said. “I-I mean, I don’t know. We-we didn’t talk. I saw him and he practically sprinted out as soon as he saw me.”

“Oh… oh, sweetie,” G-Dragon reached out and put his hand on Namjoon's shoulder as the younger lowered his forehead to the cool marble countertop, defeated.

“I was kissing Suho. I was fucking kissing _someone else_ . And of course, I was a dumbass, and glanced up for _one_ fucking moment, and made eye contact _with my fucking soulmate_.”

G-Dragon winced, glancing at Yoongi. Neither could help a small twinge of guilt, both having orchestrated the Suho hook up.

“And then, you know, after I unfroze time, all prepared to apologize to Suho and go talk to my soulmate, he was already turning around and gone before I could even push Suho away. I felt bad, but I sprinted out without a word of explanation for Suho. I just… really needed to catch the other guy.”

G-Dragon hummed, sympathetically, “Yeah, Suho told me. Poor bastard was pretty hurt cause he had no idea what had happened. But anyway, I assume by the tears and the drinking and the incomprehensible explanations last night that you _didn’t_ end up catching him?” G-Dragon leaned back as T.O.P. wrapped his arms around him, resting his chin on the smaller’s shoulders.

“Yeah, I didn’t. And the last thing I remember is Yoongi finding me outside,” Namjoon sighed, drained.

“Okay, this all makes more sense now. You tried explaining last night, but all we caught was that it was somehow related to your soulmate,” Yoongi’s lips pulled to one side, a thoughtful expression on his face as he placed the sugar and creamer on the counter. “And I checked your pockets. No note. What’d the guy look like?”

“Beautiful,” Namjoon breathed wistfully, picturing the handsome face once more. Yoongi’s lips pressed into a line and he raised an eyebrow.

“Real helpful.”

“Ah, sorry, hyung. Uhm, he had reddish brownish hair… a red and black blazer, white shirt, black pants, a touch of black eyeliner” he trailed off, glancing between all three, hoping the description would ring a bell.

“Mmm, I don’t think I saw him,” T.O.P. admitted, forehead puckering.

“I think I did,” G-Dragon piped up, eyes drifting to the ceiling as if wracking his brain for memories of everyone he had served that night. “It’s hard to remember… but I _think_ he was with some guys I know. Pretty quiet till he was a couple drinks in, though he had a way higher tolerance than all his friends, if I remember correctly. Was he tall, shoulders for days, pretty plump lips?”

Namjoon bobbed his head enthusiastically, "Yeah, exactly!”

"Mmm, yep, I have no idea who he is. But, I can ask around,” G-Dragon winked. “I have connections.”

Yoongi rolled his eyes but begged, “Please do, or this guy will be moping around here for _days_.”

Namjoon caught T.O.P. silently nodding to Yoongi in a reassuring manner, behind G-Dragon’s back.

“Great. Well, now that all of this has been cleared up… everyone get out. You people are too much. Leave. I need sleep. I’m exhausted. Look, I’m gonna keel over at any moment,” Yoongi waved his arms about dramatically.

“More like Suga- _free_ ,” G-Dragon muttered, sipping the black coffee that Namjoon only just realized had never been sweetened, and remaining seated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahem. And here we have GTOP appearing where I wasn't expecting or planning on having them. This is happening more and more frequently as I write. Idk why. They're just kinda... perfect? Idk. I love them, though. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ Oh well.


	12. Fall 2014

[*****](http://i426.photobucket.com/albums/pp342/beedledoo/Story%20Pictures/tumblr_nv5xqtnImm1tk7ffbo1_540.jpg)

The following Tuesday, in the evening after his usual classes, Jungkook found himself trailing behind Taehyung as they walked into Hoseok’s dance studio, eyes shifting around the room curiously. There were a lot more people than he had expected, and he was praying for no time freeze. Though open to it being anyone, he not-so-secretly hoped his soulmate would be a girl, and there were only guys present.

Taehyung twisted around, hand sweeping forth, “Welcome to our humble abode. Well, it’s not an abode, it’s a dance studio, and very few people here are very humble, but hey, same thing.” The box smile appeared as usual, and he began introductions. “To your left you’ll find EXO, our eldest,” Taehyung gestured like a proud mother towards the four in their usual corner. They were all occupied with stretching and chatting, so they hadn’t noticed the newcomer’s presence yet.

“Why EXO?”

“No idea! Let’s move on. In the center here we’ve got seven. They don’t have a fancy name or anything, but they’re all super into tricking,” Taehyung pointed just as two guys flipped in unison, each going a different direction. “Exhibit A. They probably saw you come in and wanted to show off. Watch out for Jackson, the white haired one. He’s loud and way overly comfortable with everyone.”

“Alright... that was hella sick, though” Jungkook whistled.

“Wasn’t it? I can do that one too,” someone whispered in his ear, causing Jungkook to jump slightly and turn. The guy had sidled up without him noticing. “Park Jimin,” he wiggled his eyebrows, giving Jungkook a sultry look and offering a hand. Jungkook found himself hesitant to accept.

“Oh, oh, any time freeze?” Taehyung excitedly clapped his hands, springing lightly on the balls of his feet between the two as Jungkook finally reached out and shook his hand.

“No?”

“Aw, darn. I thought this time for sure,” Taehyung deflated, then bounced back up. “Jimin, this is Jungkookie. Kookie, Jimin is one of the best dancers you’ll come across, besides my hubby, of course. Also one of the most flexible,” Taehyung pursed his lips and elbowed Jungkook with a wink as he said it. “But anyway, yeah, me and Jiminie tend to just hang out with whoever, or help Hobi lead. As Hobi mentioned, Jiminie here is his best friend since forever, and I’m his lovely soulmate, sooo… we basically run this place,” Taehyung threw his arm around Jimin, both men grinning enthusiastically.

“As if. You goons just goof off with Jackson half the time,” Hoseok appeared, flicking both on the forehead before turning to Jungkook. “I’m glad you decided to come! _I_ run this place, so here’s a quick rundown, as I’m sure Tae didn’t explain stuff to you like I asked him to,” Hoseok shot his soulmate a quick glare, to which he got a careless shrug and a grin in return. “We cover a lot of different types of dancing. I like to allow people to share styles that they’ve picked up elsewhere, so we all learn a wide variety, and I sometimes even invite old connections with far more experience than anyone here, so we’re always gaining new skills. Hence why Jimin was able to pick up a little trick flipping from those seven, and why dancers from this studio are always the best. I hope you’re really ready to work your buns off, because we do know how to have a good time, but we take dancing pretty seriously around here. Also, we occasionally perform, and sometimes people will come and request dancers with certain styles from me, so if you do well enough, I can recommend you for gigs. Sometimes people even get recruited for idol groups,” Hoseok spread his arms enticingly. “Twice a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays, is the recommended frequency for attendance- _if_ you just want to dance recreationally and pick up a thing or two. But, if you find yourself getting more serious about it, as many here have, I’m here every week night. The other nights there are a lot less people, so they tend to be a lot more intensive, as I can work with people individually and whatnot. And, you can attend those whenever, you don’t have to have a set schedule. So, yeah, I think that’s mostly it. Any questions? Sorry for all that information all at once.”

Jungkook shook his head slowly, a bit overwhelmed and at a loss for questions.

“Alright, feel free to ask later if you think of anything. These two also know plenty, though they seem like idiots, so bug them as much as you want as well. Anyway, Jimin, I’m partnering you with Jungkookie today to teach him the basics of what we’ve been doing recently. And make sure to stretch him properly, I don’t want any injuries, aight?” Hoseok poked Jimin expectantly.

“I take offense to your idiot comment, but fine,” Jimin complied, throwing an arm around Jungkook and rolling his eyes. “I’ll try not to break the little fetus.”

“I am _not_ a fetus. I’m in college,” Jungkook protested as they all moved to the last corner to begin.

“That’s cute, try a full time job. But hey, wanna see something cool? Catch my leg and push,” Jimin suddenly poked Jungkook, who continued to pout but did as he was told, holding out his arms hesitantly.

“Wait, what?”

“Hana, dul, set!” Jungkook found himself supporting Jimin's leg, which was now pointing almost straight up into the air. His large eyes stretched even wider than usual.

“Holy shit,” Jungkook sputtered. _THIS GUY IS WAY TOO FUCKING FLEXIBLE._

The elder two nearly fell over laughing as Jackson called from the other side of the room, “JIMIN YOU HOE, STOP SPREADING YOUR LEGS FOR EVERY CUTE STRAY THAT COMES IN HERE.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not gonna lie, this chapter was more or less inspired by the picture attached at the top.... XD I just, couldn't miss the opportunity.


	13. Winter 2015

[*****](http://i426.photobucket.com/albums/pp342/beedledoo/Story%20Pictures/JiminSooAlt.jpg)

Yoongi looked up at the building looming before him, tall and proud, the words ‘BigHit Entertainment’ displayed in large letters across the front. Not quite nervous but not as confident as he had been earlier that morning, he hesitated as he approached the doors. A coffee from Jin’s cafe gripped in one hand, Yoongi breathed out, watching his cloud of breath dissipate in the morning chill, reminding himself once again that this was for the best, a wonderful opportunity, really.

Pretending to believe what he told himself, Yoongi finally pushed open the glass doors, stepping into a warm, well lit room. Striding up to the front desk and informing the receptionist who he was there to see, he was directed to the elevator with instructions on how to find the correct office. A few minutes later, he found himself being waved into a room by a secretary, a polite smile attempting to hide the curious look in her eyes.

“Min Yoongi!” a voice boomed as he entered. “Please, take a seat,” the man who had spoken gestured towards a chair across from his own, facing the wide desk that occupied the majority of the room. He was a large man with oddly pretty eyes, wearing  a crisp suit and a smug look.

“Bang Sihyuk-hyung. Or what is it everyone here seems to call you? Bang PD-nim?” Yoongi casually plopped down, the corner of his mouth twisting down. “Can’t believe I agreed to work for you. Though, you know why I’m really here.” Sihyuk grinned broadly at this, eyes sparkling mischievously.

“It’s about time you did, Min Yoongi. And yes, yes. If the opportunity presents itself and you impress me enough, _maybe_ I’ll consider making you into a little idol yourself,” Sihyuk winked. “We all know how solid you are in the aegyo department. Who knows, maybe you would become a heartthrob for teenage girls,” he fluttered his eyes mockingly.

Yoongi bristled at the heavy sarcasm. They had collaborated before, and Bang Sihyuk seemed to have a knack for rubbing Yoongi the wrong way, and always a little too gleefully at that.

“You and I both know I’ll never be in a sparkly boy group. I think I would prefer to be a little more Tablo-esque. Idols barely count as artists,” Yoongi sneered. Sihyuk just smirked.

“Well guess what, sweetheart, you’re writing for those shiny boy groups now,” Sihyuk seemed a little too delighted.

“God, what was I thinking,” Yoongi jokingly lamented. They had had this conversation countless times, Sihyuk having been pushing Yoongi to work for him for some time now. This time, however, Yoongi couldn’t win. Sihyuk was right. He _was_ going to be writing music for idols.

“Well, jokes aside, it’s time to get to work. I already had my secretary send for your assistant, so they should be here soon. He’s very competent, and should serve you well.” Almost immediately after he had spoken, there was a knock at the door.

“Come in,” Sihyuk called. The door opened, and Yoongi made eye contact with the man who entered. Short, brunette, glasses.

“Annyeonghaseyo, Bang PD-nim,” the man bowed to the elder, then turned back to Yoongi. “Annyeonghaseyo. My name is Do Kyungsoo.”

 

***

 

“You’re probably wondering why I had you meet with me personally on your first day here,” Kim Young-min, the CEO of SM Entertainment, smiled at the new writer sitting across from him.

“Yes, I admit, I was a bit confused,” the man nodded, eyes flickering nervously. He had never been very successful at hiding his emotions, and he silently cursed that fact as he knew his new boss was watching him carefully.

“Well, it’s actually quite simple. I wanted to meet you myself. It’s not every day a well known rapper such as yourself comes to work for me, Kim Namjoon. Or, should I say, Rap Monster,” the CEO pressed his lips together, a disapproving look on his face. “I hope you know you will have to go by your actual name while you are here. Your purpose is to write songs that will make my idols famous, not yourself. Never forget your place,” his eyes narrowed threateningly. “Regardless of who you are outside of these walls, as long as you are within them, you only have the status of a writer and producer.”

Namjoon struggled to maintain a straight face. Quite frankly, he was taken aback. He had heard negative rumors about SM, but had not expected such a cold welcome right from the start. Unfortunately, because it was the largest company, he knew there was no better place to have his lyrics and music come to life, the idols that would sing them being some of the biggest in Korea. A twinge of uncertainty touched him after the CEO had spoken, however, and he once again wondered if it was worth picking SM over BigHit, where Yoongi had gone. BigHit was tiny, but they had a much better reputation.

 _No. SM is where I belong. I want my lyrics to actually be_ heard _. SM has internationally renowned artists. BigHit barely exists._ Namjoon wasn't sure who he was trying to convince more, his internal Yoongi that was sitting their shaking his head knowingly, or himself.

“Understood, sir.”

“Good.” There was a sudden knocking at the door. “Ah, that must be your assistant,” the CEO glanced behind Namjoon. “Come in!”

The door slowly opened, and a young man in a crisp white shirt entered, making eye contact with Namjoon. Namjoon tried to hold back a smile as the man’s eyes widened with recognition and slight wonder.

“A-annyeonghaseyo, CEO-nim, R-rap Monster-nim. My name is Park Jimin.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Plot twist? Maybe? Or did you see that coming? Not gonna lie, Jimin was totally supposed to be Yoongi's assistant. That was the plan. And then... everything changed when the fire nation attacked.  
> But really, idk, I guess it just felt too cliche. Besides, buttloads of other stuff come along with this storyline. I'm not sure how I feel about it anymore, but it is what it is, so ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯  
> OH AND THAT REMINDS ME. I have nothing against SM (welllllll........... not that we need to discuss here), the reason they are sorta in a bad guy position is just because I needed some company to be, and they fit. So. Sorry if you love SM. Not tryna make them seem evil, I swear.  
> Oh and I have no idea how these companies actually work, so sorry if this is totally inaccurate.


	14. Winter 2015

[*****](http://i426.photobucket.com/albums/pp342/beedledoo/Story%20Pictures/CoWorkers.jpg)

“Min Yoongi,” Yoongi bowed in return to the man who had just introduced himself.

“I look forward to working for you, please take care of me,” Kyungsoo smiled and bowed once again, subconsciously pushing his glasses further up his nose - which lead Yoongi’s mind to another short brunette who had a habit of pushing at his glasses. He quickly shoved the face out of his brain before he could be distracted. _Kyungsoo_ seemed about Yoongi’s own age and pleasant enough (if first impressions were anything to go by), with a strong, masculine face, though short build. He seemed puny yet tough all at once, and Yoongi immediately took a liking to him, an abnormal occurrence for himself.

“The feeling is mutual,” Yoongi flashed his rare smile, gums showing, and Kyungsoo returned the gesture, a wide smile splaying across his face, cheeks scrunching. _Ah, he’s so cute. He looks so… squishy,_ Yoongi thought to himself before that other damned face suddenly interrupted his thoughts again. Kyungsoo had vaguely reminded him of the way Jimin had looked when he saw him for the first time, cheeks nearly hiding his cresent eyes as he smiled expectantly at Yoongi from his seat by the window…

“...your desk. Min Yoongi, are you listening?” Yoongi was pulled from his revery, slightly disturbed to realize that he had indeed been distracted by a pair of sad eyes that he shouldn’t even be thinking about.

“Oh, sorry hyung - er, PD-nim. What was that?”

“I said Do Kyungsoo will show you to your office and to the studio and whatnot. Set up your desk however you’d like, and if you need anything, Kyungsoo is well equipped to answer any questions and reject any ridiculous requests. Please take care of him, though. I know you, don’t go abusing him. He’s one of our best.”

“No promises,” Yoongi deadpanned and turned to give Kyungsoo his most menacing bitch face, just to gauge the assistant’s reaction. He was greeted with lowered eyelids and dark eyes staring coldly from beneath heavy eyebrows. Yoongi would never admit that he felt a genuine twinge of intimidation in that moment.

“My god, I may have to start calling you Satansoo. Or just Serial Killer-nim. Hyung - damnit, PD-nim- he’ll do.”

Sihyuk chuckled knowingly, “Good. And I already warned him about what a grouchy old grandpa you are, so hopefully he doesn’t run off _too_ quickly.”

Kyungsoo made a small noise of protest at the comment (bless his squishy little serial killer heart - Bang Sihyuk was only trying to make that _sound_ like a joke), and Yoongi simply glared at Sihyuk, before turning to head out the door. He noticed, with amusement, that the assistant seemed genuinely worried for a moment, glancing between the two nervously, clearly unsure how serious Yoongi’s apparent flash of anger was. This kid had a lot to learn. To relieve him a little, because Yoongi was feeling nice ( _weird_ ), he carefully schooled his features into a blank expression of apathy, before turning around.

“I’m gonna go get shit done. Look forward to some mind blowing music. Kyungsoo, show me where I’m going.”

Kyungsoo, already looking less anxious than he had before, nodded silently before bowing to Sihyuk once more and exiting, followed by a far too comfortable Yoongi, who simply waved without looking back and shutting the door behind himself.

 _Damn Sihyuk-hyung is probably way too pleased with himself right now. I have to admit though, this guy is perfect,_ Yoongi glanced at Kyungsoo, who was silently striding toward the elevator, just slightly ahead of Yoongi. _No unnecessary chatter, major case of resting serial killer face... As long as he can keep up, he’ll do._

 

***

 

“Please, call me Kim Namjoon or simply Writer-nim while I’m here.” Jimin couldn’t help but notice the musician's eyes flick back nervously to the CEO as he said it.

“Yes, sir,” Jimin bowed once again, composing himself and ignoring what he thought he saw. It didn’t really matter, because he was _excited._ He didn’t know if that was more because he would be working with the genius rapper (he didn't care what Jungkook said, Rap Monster was still _totally_ awesome), or because of the recent discovery that he was Yoongi’s best friend. Either way, he couldn’t believe his luck.

“You may both go. Park Jimin, show him where he’ll be working. Kim Namjoon, if you need anything, your assistant will help. Have a nice day, and welcome to SM Entertainment.”

Both men bowed and exited, Jimin trying to hide his sigh of relief when the door closed behind them. He had to muffle a giggle when he caught the writer doing the same thing. Jimin smiled politely at him and gestured down the hallway.

“Your office is this way,” he paused, then mustered up his courage and added, “also, if it isn’t too forward of me, what would you _actually_ like to be called? I’m your assistant, so we’ll be seeing a lot of each other, and I don’t want to burden you with feeling all uptight about names. What would you prefer?” Jimin new it was a gamble to even ask, as some people would be offended at him for making assumptions, but somehow the rapper seemed like he needed the friendly offer.

“Oh… well, some people call me Rapmon. It’s kinda short for Rap Monster. And please, avoid calling me Writer-nim as much as possible. That sounds so stuffy.” Jimin was pleased to see relief settle across Namjoon's features.

“Alright, Rapmon-sunbae between us, then.”

Continuing on their way, Jimin guided him first to his office, and then on a general tour of the relevant parts of the building, including the recording studio, and the idol’s practice room. He figured the guy should probably know where that stuff was, even if he would never actually use some it.

Throughout the tour, Jimin was greeted by people from various departments and he made sure to proudly introduce the newcomer to everyone they met. Namjoon was kinda awkward, especially at first, but Jimin knew from experience that the faster he introduced himself to people and made friends, the more pleasant his life would be at the company. It also made his own life a little easier if people liked his boss.

“Sunbae!” Jimin grinned and bowed slightly when he saw Jongdae heading towards them, arms full of folders and papers.

“Annyeonghaseyo,” Jongdae greeted them, noticing Namjoon and bowing deeply. “My name is Kim Jongdae.”

Namjoon bowed in return, “I'm Kim Namjoon.”

“He’s the new writer, so I’m showing him around the building. Jongdae-sunbae is the vocal trainer’s assistant,” Jimin explained.

“I see. Well, I hope you like what you’ve seen so far. It’s an honor to have you here. Oh, also, a bunch of us are going out on Friday. You should come along, it will be a good way to get to know everyone,” Jongdae invited Namjoon, smiling politely.

Seizing the opportunity, Jimin quickly added, “And you can bring a friend along, if that would be more comfortable for you.” Jongdae furrowed his eyebrows before Jimin slapped him on the back, giving him a hard look and adding, “We all know what it’s like to suddenly be out with a bunch of people you don’t know very well yet.”

As Namjoon obliviously nodded, relieved, Jimin flashed Jongdae a pleading look, hoping his friend would catch his _I’ll explain later, just go along with it for now_ vibe _._ The elder raised his eyebrows but played along anyway.

“Indeed, we do. Well, it’s been a pleasure to meet you, but I must be off. Emails and scheduling call. Annyeonghaseyo!” Jongdae gave Jimin one last look before bowing to Namjoon and treading away.

Jimin, pleased with himself, guided Namjoon back to his office, grinning the whole way.

“Well, here we are. If you need me, my cubicle is down the hall, and you can always ping me from your computer. Have you been taught how the computer system here works?” Jimin inquired as Namjoon sat down at his desk, looking around.

“Nope.”

“Alright, I’ll explain,” Jimin came around the desk. “First you…”

In the midst of explaining, Jimin noticed Namjoon turn slightly pale while looking at him, a look of slight alarm flitting across his face before hiding behind a carefully blank mask.

“You okay there, Sunbae?” He could only hope that Namjoon's stomach was upset or something, and that that face hadn’t been a result of him realizing that he had no idea what Jimin was explaining. It would be a pain to go over it all again.

“Yes, sorry. I just… uh, first day butterflies, you know?”

Jimin wasn’t quite convinced, but nodded regardless, “Mmm, yeah, I feel you. But don’t worry, you got me!”

 

***

 

After getting Namjoon situated, Jimin wandered off to locate Jongdae, knowing the elder would be annoyed if he didn’t explain himself for earlier. As expected, he was at his desk, surrounded by countless papers and schedules, too many tabs open on his computer screen.

“Sunbae,” Jimin chirped, leaning against the cubicle wall. Jongdae looked up, the focused look on his face turning to one of indignation when he registered who it was.

“Park Jimin, what the hell was that?”

Jimin held up his hands defensively, “I can explain. I know, bonding time with coworkers is for _coworkers_ , but first of all, Namjoon-sunbae was shy as hell all day long and I thought it would be better for him to have someone as back up. Second of all, I’m determined and devious and know who he’s going to invite,” Jimin explained smugly. The plan had been hatched on the fly, but he was confident that he was correct, and after his talk with Minseok, he had a newfound resolve to try again with Yoongi.

“Oh, and who would that be?” Jongdae asked, unimpressed and still unsatisfied.

 _Well, let me tell_ you.

“It’s a long story, but… my soulmate,” Jimin squealed, bouncing slightly and barely able to contain his growing excitement. Jongdae’s jaw dropped, then quickly snapped shut, eyes narrowing.

“What?”

“My soulmate! Long story short, we sorta didn’t hit it off very well, and then I found out that he’s besties with Kim Namjoon. Who wouldn’t bring their best friend as their backup?” Jimin splayed his hands outward, proud. He was confused when Jongdae’s face remained unimpressed and then was touched by a hint of pity as well.

“Jimin… someone who already found their soulmate. Did you bother to find out if Kim Namjoon already has one?” The blood drained from Jimin’s face as he realized his blunder. He knew for a fact that Namjoon had a soulmate, and he knew exactly whose older brother that soulmate was.

“Craaaap, I’m an idiot,” Jimin lamented, throwing his arms in the air.

“Park Jimin, when will you ever learn to think things through?” Jongdae shook his head, exasperated.


	15. Winter 2015

[*****](http://i426.photobucket.com/albums/pp342/beedledoo/Story%20Pictures/NamJinJiHope.jpg)

After work, Namjoon drove straight to Jin’s apartment, tired and hoping for a good meal. Remembering that Jungkook was at dance, he quietly opened the door when he arrived, slipping inside and hoping he could catch his boyfriend by surprise. To his delight, there was no sign of him in the living room, but he could hear humming from the kitchen. Ducking so Jin wouldn’t spot him through the space above the stove, he crept further inside, hugging the wall and making his way towards the humming. Glancing around the corner of the kitchen counter, he spotted Jin, clad in his usual pink apron and chopping vegetables, luckily facing away from where Namjoon was hiding.

Tiptoeing up behind him, Namjoon wrapped one arm around his waist and used the other to cover his eyes, pressing a moist kiss against his neck. NNamjoon felt Jin freeze for a moment before leaning back into him and humming contentedly. Leaving one hand to keep his eyes covered, Namjoon slid his other hand down Jin’s arm, carefully plucking the knife from his hand and placing it on the counter. Jin tilted his head back, then, and Namjoon took full advantage of the opportunity. Making his way from Jin’s ear to his broad shoulder, sucking gently on the skin as he went, he elicited small gasps of delight from the elder. Finally dropping his hand from Jin’s face, he allowed him to turn around, wrapping both arms around the elder’s waist. Jin wrapped his arms around Namjoon's neck, and pulled him down into a kiss. As they pressed into each other, Namjoon couldn’t help but muse over Jin and his lips. Both Jin _and_ his lips were surprisingly dominant (not that Namjoon really minded) and yet still so utterly soft  and delicate, and moist (well, his lips anyway) when they pressed against his own .

“Heya Joonie, how was your first day?” Jin finally asked, pulling away slightly to look into his eyes. Namjoon had to hold back a whine, having wanted to continue with the previous activity.

“Mmm, good,” Namjoon settled on small pecks, answering between kisses. “My assistant is pretty lively, so that’s nice, but the CEO had a major stick up his ass. Oh and some guys invited me out on Friday, said I could bring a plus one. You busy that night?”

“Yeah, actually,” Jin pulled away enough to turn around and continue working on dinner, allowing Namjoon to once again wrap his arms around him, pouting and resting his chin on the elder’s shoulders as he watched him work. “And don’t go making faces-” how Jin knew he had made a face was beyond Namjoon's comprehension. Mom eyes? “-Hyosang has been complaining that I never hang out with him anymore, since opening the cafe and finding my soulmate. I told him I would spend some time with him that evening.”

“But hyung, I’m too shy to go alone,” Namjoon whined, wiggling against Jin’s back.

“So take Yoongi, that guy needs to get out more anyway,” Jin suggested dryly, scraping the chopped vegetables into a pot.

“But he hates going out,” Namjoon sighed, already preparing himself for the fight it would be to get Yoongi out of the house. “Oh, and speaking of Yoongi, what did you say was the name of his soulmate again?”

“Park Jimin.”

“Huh. That’s what I thought. While my assistant was explaining something about the computers today - I honestly still don’t get how the stupid system works but whatever - it hit me. _His_ name is Park Jimin. I know it’s a common name, but I mean...”

Jin’s lip twitched, amused, “Maybe it’s him. Though, that seems highly unlikely.”

“Yeah… but like, the universe makes things happen for a reason. Soulmates are meant to be, you know? Like, I always put up a tough front for my rapper image, but we both know that’s not really me, and I’ve always secretly kinda thought pink was cute, and that was probably a sign about how you and I-” he was cut short by a forceful kiss, before Jin leaned back, eyes twinkling with amusement.

“Alright, alright, don’t get all deep and philosophical on me right now. I still remember when you said that _ice cream_ cone had a philosophical flavor.”

“BUT IT DID. I swear, Jin, you don’t understand, that fla-” he was silenced by another kiss, this one lasting longer, as Jin pressed more tightly against him, leaning them both back against the counter. Namjoon finally gave up, biting Jin’s lip and eliciting a small moan from the other before he felt hands pushing him away and Jin leaned further backwards, out of his reach. The elder grinned mischievously as he ducked away from the kiss Namjoon tried to land on his collarbone.

“Enough, I need to finish making dinner. Go set the table.”

“Hyuuung, you can’t just do that to a guy,” Namjoon whined but did as he was told, knowing there was no winning against Jin.

“Pfft, please, I can do what I want. We both know who wears the pants in this relationship, Kim Namjoon.”

Namjoon opened his mouth to protest, then snapped it shut. _Fuck. Fuck, he’s right. I can’t even complain because I won’t get dinner. Damnit, I_ am _Whipped-mon. God, if Yoongi ever saw this..._

 

***

 

After Joonie had gone home and Jungkook had returned from dance, Jin flopped down on the couch next to the younger, tired, but not enough to head to bed yet.

“Long day?” Jungkook yawned, stretching and draping himself over the elder.

“Nah. Work wasn’t bad and Joonie stopped by for dinner. You?” Jin began brushing his fingers through the younger’s hair, appreciative of how gosh darn _soft_ it was. _The little brat is probably using my conditioner._

“It’s been alright. School sucks, finals are coming up, and Jimin was being pouty today. Something about his soulmate, I bet. Which reminds me, it’s Yoongi-hyung, though I’m guessing you already figured that out.”

Jin snorted, “Of course. I was there when they _met._  Also, Yoongi talked to Joonie about it later as well. Which reminds me, where does Jimin work?” Jin figured the chances were slim, but he _had_ to know. He _did_ remember Jungkookie mentioning some kind of assistant job while complaining about Jimin falling asleep before dance all the time. _Could be._

“He works for SM Entertainment. Writer’s assistant or something. Why?”

Oh. _Oh._ This was just _golden._  Jin started laughing in disbelief. _What is this, some kind of drama? There is_ no _way the world is_ that _small. This is like… unrealistic._

“Oh, no reason,” Jin grinned mischievously and couldn’t stop himself from laughing harder, relishing the expression on Jungkook’s face. _And he says he doesn’t like Jimin. Look at that concern and_ panic.

“Oh my god, hyung, what’ve you done?”

“Nothing, nothing. I just get the feeling that Jimin is more clever than you give him credit for.” The younger’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion but Jin finally managed to get his giggling under control, and the subject was dropped. He was pretty impressed, actually. It had seemed odd that Joonie would be invited to bring a plus one, but if Jimin _was,_ in fact, his assistant, and had been the one to invite him out, then it was probably actually a very calculated move. He screwed up in forgetting about Jin, but perhaps the universe knew it would work in his favor anyway. Soulmates seemed unable to avoid each other, once the initial contact was made, and Jin was _very_ interested to see how this would play out.

 

***

 

It was Friday evening, as good a time as any for bad decisions, and so Jimin decided to step in closer, eyes flicking upward.

He hadn’t anticipated this. He had been shocked when Yoongi _was_ the one to show up at Namjoon's side when they arrived at the bar, and more so when the guy slowly became increasingly intoxicated, and with that, increasingly friendly.

Jimin couldn’t say he was in a much better state, nor could he say he really minded.

Somehow, the two had ended up on the dance floor, and that pale, ethereal face was just a few centimeters away now, glowing under the dizzying lights of the bar. Still rolling his hips to the beat, he watched as Yoongi momentarily broke eye contact to glance down at his lips, subconsciously licking his own as he did so. Jimin felt something in him snap at the sight. Between the abundant alcohol surging through his veins, the pulsing music, Yoongi’s tantalizingly musky scent, and that goddamn _tongue_ , Jimin could no longer hold back. _Would_ no longer hold back.

Grabbing the elder’s waist, he pulled his swaying form closer, and Jimin was still rolling his hips but this time he was met with _friction_ , and then both men were moaning as thin, pale fingers were pulling his face forward and God - _God_ , that tongue. And just as Jimin was flooded with heat, from Yoongi’s lips - _tongue_ \- pressing against his own, from their chests flush against each other, from their hips still _rolling_ … just as quickly as they finally crashed together, the heat was gone. Confused, Jimin blinked open his eyes.

_Oh._

What he found staring back at him was not a pair of dark, predatory eyes daring him forward. Instead… instead he was met by the blank ceiling above his bed, apathetic to the waves of disappointment and embarrassment rolling through him.

 _It was a dream.. Of course it was a dream, Park Jimin. What, did you_ really _think Yoongi would actually come? Or - or have interest in you? Or_ kiss- and then he cut himself off, unable to handle the fleeting memory of what it felt like to have Yoongi pressed against him. _Wanting_ him. He knew better than to hope for such things.

Sighing, he rolled over (definitely _not_ debating if it was worth sleeping five more minutes to try to catch the dream where it left off), before giving up and dragging himself out of bed for work.

It was only Thursday.

 

***

 

“Jiminie, what’s the matter?” It was late in the evening already, dance practice long since over, but Jimin and Hoseok had stayed longer, as they often did, to continue practicing some choreography. The two had been sprawled on the floor, panting, when the elder rolled over, dragging a squirming Jimin into his arms. Eventually giving up on escape, Jimin sighed and snuggled closer, burying his face in his hyung’s shoulder.

“I screwed up and got my hopes up. Again,” Jimin mumbled. Hobi-hyung liked to goof off - really, they all did - but he was always the first to notice if something was off with the younger, and Jimin was eternally grateful for it. Snuggled in his arms, as he so often found himself, Jimin could almost stop thinking about the man who had been running through his mind all day (Sometimes he wondered if there was a soulmate version of best friends. Had anything weird happened when he first met Hobi-hyung?).

“What happened?” Hobi coaxed, rubbing circles into his back.

“Well, first, we invited Rapmon-sunbae to come drink with us tomorrow. That was all fine and dandy until I opened my big mouth and told him he could bring a plus one, because you know, he’s besties with Yoongi, so I thought he would invite him…”

“And then you remembered that Namjoon-hyung has Jin-hyung?”

Jimin just nodded into his shoulder, deciding to ignore the fact that Hobi-hyung had just referred to Namjoon as hyung, which meant they had met and Hobi had never _told_ him - but whatever. Hobi always seemed to know _everyone_.

The elder sighed quietly. “Oh, Jimin. But hey, that’s not that bad. He _could_ invite Yoongi.”

“Yeah, but that’s just as terrifying. What was I thinking? What if he _does_ show up? What if he doesn’t say a word to me the entire time? God- what if he _does_ talk to me? Hyung,” Jimin whined, clinging to the elder’s arm and curling forward, “I can’t handle this. And, to make things worse, I’m not sure I could even look him in the eye right now.” Jimin buried his face in the elder’s shoulder once more, trying to hide the blush creeping up his neck.

“Why? Just man up, Jimin. It’s not like anything even particularly bad happened when you guys met. I’m sure it would be fine,” Hobi wiggled against him, trying to lighten the mood. Jimin appreciated the effort, but Hobi-hyung didn’t _know._

“Hyuuung, you don’t understand. I- uh- I had a dream about it. About Yoongi. About tomorrow. It was the _worst_ , hyung, I wanted it so _bad_ , but now I can’t stop thinking about it, and I’m not sure I can even _look_ at him after that dream…” Jimin trailed off, burning with embarrassment, but still clinging to the elder for comfort.

“Jiminie… you did _not_ have a wet dream about _Yoongi_ ,” Hobi looked down at him in horror, and Jimin immediately shoved him away, a deeper shade of red creeping its way across his face.

“No! _No_. Of course not! Gosh, who do you think I am? It was just _nice_ , and we might have kissed a little, and… but that’s besides the point! What if I see him, and it’s just like the dream, only not? Or what if he doesn’t come at all? What if I never see him again? Hyung, you _know_ how I feel about soulmates. Help meeee,” Jimin flung his limbs out on the floor, and Hobi sat up, exasperated.

“It’ll be _okay._ Why are you being such a baby? I thought that title was reserved for Jungkookie? And you know what? Park Jimin, am I not good enough for you?” Hobi leaned over, eyes wide, mouth turned down in a pout. “Time froze when we met, didn’t it?” Hobi jumped on him, successfully trapping him well enough to begin tickling him as he continued his tirade. “Is my best friendship not enough for you? We are _obviously_ bestie soulmates,” the elder was practically hollering by the end, the younger rolling around helplessly in a fit of giggles.

“I am _not_ a baby! These are valid concerns! And _time_ didn’t freeze, hyung, _you_ froze because you literally danced into me and spilled my _entire_ lunch down the front of my shirt!” Jimin countered, gasping for air and trying to control his laughter. The elder jumped up, posing and gazing off into the distance grandly.

“It was a _sign_ , Jimin. Much like the stains that would never come out of that shirt, so too would I stain your life with my glorious friendship. Forever.” Hobi grinned down at him, and Jimin allowed his worries to melt away into the pure sunshine that was Hobi’s smile. It was just so _comforting_. Maybe they _were_ bestie soulmates. Either way, however, Jimin allowed himself to think that maybe, just _maybe_ , things could turn out okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, the darn summary for this story has been killing me. I may (and have) change it. I'm running some versions by my beta reader to see what she thinks. If you have any thoughts or opinions on the matter, feel free to comment! I always appreciate feedback.  
> ALSO! Something I'm SUPER excited about ^^ Taehyung's story! I actually just finished writing it, and after a bit of editing and revising, I will be uploading it for you all to enjoy. I added this work to a series, and Taehyung's story will be added to the series when it goes up as well.  
> As always, thanks for reading and commenting and giving kudos! <3


	16. Winter 2015

[*****](http://i426.photobucket.com/albums/pp342/beedledoo/Story%20Pictures/CoWorkersAndCo.jpg)

 

Yoongi wasn’t one to go down without a fight. It made him wonder, then, how he got roped into going drinking with Namjoon on Friday night, when he clearly remembered refusing to do just that.

Another inexplicable occurrence, he supposed. Though this one wasn’t exactly without its perks; Namjoon - that bastard - was paying for his drinks, and Yoongi was going to milk that for all it was worth. Damned jerk.

“Why am I here? Isn’t this supposed to be a coworkers thing? I literally work at a rival company. I’m tired. I could be sleeping right now. If I keel over tomorrow from exhaustion, you are so going to fucking pay. LET ME _LEAVE_.” The last part came as Namjoon snagged Yoongi’s collar, the latter having turned around to head for the door in a last ditch effort to escape while he still could. They were at a familiar bar, with a familiar face heading towards them, the only difference being the shock of pink hair G-Dragon now sported.

“What the _fuck_ is up with everyone and goddamn _pink?_  Pink-mon and Pink-Dragon, GREAT. I swear, I’m surrounded by idiots,” Yoongi glared at the latter, as he unhooked himself from Namjoon's grasp. G-Dragon simply smirked, as usual.

“Why Suga, you should join the club. Pink would _really_ suit you,” G-Dragon purred in an all too dangerously delighted tone, eyes glittering. Yoongi took an involuntary step back, sneering.

“Don’t call me Suga. And no way in fucking _hell_ am I letting you anywhere near me with hair dye. Last time you colored yours, your hair looked like fucking tamago sushi. Nope.”

“Actually, come to think of it, you _would_ look kinda cute with pink hair, hyung. You should really consider it,” Namjoon nodded his head thoughtfully, and Yoongi was one-hundred percent done with the two.

“No. End of story. Now, where are your stupid coworkers, Namjoon? I don’t want you two conspiring about any more dumb ideas and I could really go for a damn drink right around now.”

“Oh, yeah. Uhm,” Namjoon glanced around, suddenly looking nervous, “they should be here somewhere…”

“Who yah looking for?” G-Dragon cocked his head to the side.

“Short kid, brown hair, thighs for days, and another guy, also short but kinda thin, wavy brown hair? They’re part of a larger group, too, a bunch of coworkers,” Yoongi snapped his head up at the mention of the first guy. He could think of a short kid, with brown hair and thighs for days. A very specific one. One that he had no desire to _see_ , let alone _drink_ with.

“Namjoon… what are the _names_ of these coworkers?” he said slowly, horror and a strong hint of a threat coloring his voice. Namjoon suddenly became very preoccupied with looking anywhere but at Yoongi, and Yoongi _knew_. He knew this whole situation had seemed weird, and this _so_ fucking explained it. Just as the younger finally opened his mouth to reply, however, G-Dragon stepped forward, eyes slightly menacing, lips pressed together into something Yoongi wouldn’t really consider a smile. Somehow, the expression left no room for argument.

“Why don’t we let them introduce themselves? I think I know who you’re talking about, they’re over here. I sat them at a booth not that long ago,” G-Dragon began striding towards the back of the bar, past the dance floor. Yoongi was fairly certain he didn’t _want_ to let them introduce themselves, but something about G-Dragon reminded him of those psycho bunnies they always have in movies. Those ones that look really cute and playful until they get pissed, and then they eat your face off and giggle afterward. He didn’t really think it would be wise to mess with that. So he followed. Dragging his feet every step of the way, but still. Following.

He wasn’t sure what he was expecting. To see that damn face again, smiling up at him expectantly (because the kid _had_ to know he was coming, right?)? Perhaps smirking? Maybe looking at him with those same sad eyes he had just before he turned around to leave that day. Yoongi wasn’t really sure, but there was definitely _some_ sort of expectation, and what he found was completely different. And perhaps Jimin would never do or say what he expected. Or perhaps he was expecting the wrong things. Either way. He was pissed, and what he encountered didn’t change that.

As they walked up to the booth, Jimin was laughing. Not giggling, or chuckling, or snickering, but full on, tummy-holding whoops of laughter, the kind that brings tears to eyes and makes sides ache. The colorful lights of the bar were playing beautifully on Jimin’s skin, his head was thrown back, his straight, white teeth on full display, and god damnit this was somehow _worse_ and probably totally on fucking purpose.

Yoongi watched as Jimin registered who had arrived, fascinated and confused as his face transformed from one of merriment to naked _panic_ in the span of a millisecond. Which seemed weird. Yet, oddly satisfying. And it wasn’t until he felt his shirt being jerked around his neck that he realized he had already turned to make a not so graceful exit stomping towards the nearest door, but G-Dragon had already caught him. Slowly shuffling back around to face the table, Yoongi was grateful for the colorful lights that he hoped were covering the burn in his cheeks. Since when did he care enough to make a fool of himself like that? What was he so worried about? And why the hell did Jimin seem so scared of him?

Oh, well, maybe because he had brutally rejected him just a few days before. That seemed semi-feasible. _Well good. Maybe he’ll keep his fucking distance._

“Sorry,” he muttered, only loudly enough for his companions to hear. He refused to look up, glaring instead at his feet, unsure if he was cursing them more for making a fool of him or for not acting fast enough to actually escape. He heard Namjoon apologizing, something about Yoongi being really shy - _hah, as if that’s what it was -_ and introducing the both of them. When he could avoid it no longer, he finally looked up - and of course made eye contact with the guy whose eyes were still slightly wide and lips were pressed into a thin line. A stray part of his brain noted that it was the first time seeing Jimin without his big-ass glasses, _but who the hell asked your opinion anyway?_ It’s not like he had seen much of him to begin with. And that was irrelevant. Tearing his eyes away, he smiled politely at the rest of the people seated in the booth.

“Annyeonghaseyo. My name is Min Yoongi. Please take care of me.”

 

***

 

He had already accepted that he wouldn’t be seeing Yoongi that night. Jongdae was right, Rapmon-sunbae would probably bring Jin-hyung. So when he finally stopped laughing like an idiot and realized who had shown up at their both, he completely froze. He stared helplessly as Yoongi’s face went from quiet fury to vindictive ( _oh my gosh, he’s not even_ trying _to hide it)_ before turning on his heel, stopped only by the bartender who snagged his collar before he could escape. Jimin kinda wish he had just let him. He once again couldn’t remember why he had ever thought this was a good idea, and Yoongi was clearly of a similar mindset.

Namjoon awkwardly laughed, clearly trying to diffuse the situation. “Annyeonghaseyo, my name is Kim Namjoon. I think I’ve met most of you by now, though. Also, sorry, my friend is kinda shy-” _As if anyone could believe that-_ “Thank you for inviting us.”

Yoongi was blushing and shooting daggers at his feet, but he finally looked up - right at Jimin. The younger’s eyes widened and the elder tore his gaze away. Yoongi was still as beautiful as he remembered him being - even looking ready to murder someone. Today he was dressed in a black blazer, a shirt with stripes of patterns, and a white snapback worn backwards. And somehow, despite the change of scenery, and the vastly different situation, he was reminded of the first time they made eye contact. Yoongi seemed a little pissed that day, too.

“Annyeonghaseyo. My name is Min Yoongi. Please take care of me,” Yoongi bowed and Jimin turned his head away, unsure of what to do or say. It was his fault the guy was here, and he suddenly understood what people meant about wishing a hole would just open up and swallow them, at this point.

_This was such a bad idea. Jimin, what were you thinking? Were you even thinking? God, where’s Hobi-hyung when I need him? I was so right._

“Annyeonghaseyo. I'm Kim Jongdae,” (thank god) the elder coworker took the lead, offering Yoongi a hand and bowing slightly. “Please, sit. We were about to order the first round of drinks.”

“Thanks,” Namjoon smiled, looking more than a little relieved to be able sit down. Jimin watched out of the corner of his eye as Yoongi and Namjoon took the seats across from him and Jongdae. He caught the glare Namjoon shot Yoongi, too. Avoiding contact, Jimin instead turned to the coworker on his other side, smiling widely.

“Hey, Youngjae, what do you think we should do? A round of Soju first or beer first?” Youngjae gave him a weird look, clearly unsure why he was talking to him about it (they rarely interacted, despite dancing at the same studio), but refrained from commenting on his behavior.

“Jimin-sunbae, aren’t you a bit of a lightweight? If I were you, I would suggest beer.” Youngjae continued, a grin creeping across his face, “Maybe not the best idea to get _too_ wasted with the new boss, you know.”

Jimin laughed, and noticed Yoongi’s jaw clench subtly at the outburst (not that he was secretly paying attention to the elder - what?). Ignoring him - crap, _crap_ , wait, should he be ignoring him? Yeah, right? - Jimin nodded, “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Hey, Jongdae-sunbae, a round of beer?”

Jongdae had been chatting with the bartender and the two new arrivals, but turned when Jimin called out. Jimin was surprised when it was the pink-haired bartender who replied.

“Aw, but what’s life without a little fun?” Turning back to Namjoon and Jongdae, he winked and continued, “Shots of soju, I presume?” The two smirked knowingly, nodding their heads in unison and Jimin couldn’t help a small flare of resentment at being brushed aside. Who the hell did the damned bartender think he was? And what the hell, Jongdae?

“Oh, no no no, G-Dragon, I know _exactly_ what you three are doing. I was the one that planned that scheme last year to begin with, remember? You can’t use my own shit against me. _No._ Nope. Beer.” Jimin was startled by Yoongi’s aggressive outburst, and still confused and a little miffed by Jongdae participating in… whatever this was. They were supposed to be best work buddies...

“Come on, hyung, I thought you _wanted_ to get drunk? Relax! You just finished your first week of work,” Namjoon rolled his eyes and nudged the elder, before nodding to G-Dragon. Yoongi opened his mouth to argue, but was cut off by a delighted exclamation from the bartender, a dangerous glint in his eye that had Jimin feeling uneasy. _Okay, seriously, who is this guy?_

“Great! Soju it is, then. I’ll be right back,” G-Dragon beamed and clapped his hands together before sashaying off towards the bar.

“Do you have any idea what just happened? And when did Jongdae-sunbae and Namjoon-sunbae become so chummy?” Youngjae leaned in slightly, looking lost and a little indignant. _I feel you, man._

“Your guess is as good as mine, but I assume Namjoon-sunbae and Yoongi-ssi know the bartender. G-Dragon or whatever his name was,” Jimin shrugged, subtly watching as Yoongi proceeded to quietly hiss at Namjoon, who simply brushed him off with a chuckle. Turning to Jongdae, Jimin poked the elder. “What the hell?”

“What?” Jongdae asked, clearly trying to hide a smirk. Jimin gave him a look dripping with _‘Oh please, don’t give me that shit, you know exactly what I’m talking about’_ and Jongdae just _laughed._ He freaking _laughed._ “Don’t worry Jimin.”

Jongdae was grinning, and it finally occurred to Jimin that he might have - okay, no, _definitely -_ figured out who Yoongi was. He _had_ told him he thought Namjoon would bring Jimin’s soulmate. Damnit, why had he left Jongdae alone to talk to Namjoon? But wait, then, did _Namjoon_ know _?_ And again, when did they become close?

Although it had been his idea to begin with, Jimin suddenly felt like someone else was pulling the strings in this situation.

He frowned, “You better not be planning anything, sunbae.”

“You’re one to talk,” Jongdae rolled his eyes and Jimin opened his mouth in indignation before the arrival of G-Dragon with bottles of soju and shot glasses cut him off.

Jimin was a bit wary of the alcohol, as Youngjae was correct, he _was_ a lightweight, but accepted his shot regardless. Jongdae stood up, glancing around at all the coworkers before turning into towards Namjoon and raising his glass. “To the new member of the team, Kim Namjoon-ssi. May his songs be the most kick-ass of all, and his time with us memorable. It’s an honor to have you at the company. Cheers!” They all shouted in unison and clinked glasses together before tipping them back, downing the first round in one collective gulp. After everyone had a new round poured, it was Namjoon who stood, looking awkward but determined.

“Thank you so much for inviting me along today, you all have been so welcoming. You know, it’s funny, life is like a shot of soju, I-”

“Yah, none of your philosophical bullshit today Namjoon. Just thank them and be on with it,” Yoongi sighed, and there were chuckles all around. Despite having only been at the company for three days, more than one of them had already experienced a Namjoon rant, Jimin especially. The guy’s thoughts were always strange and deep. It was a rabbit hole best to avoid falling down.

“Hyung, you can’t just interrupt a toast like that,” Namjoon whined halfheartedly, though chuckling a little himself as well.

“Well _someone_ has to save us from another hour long speech of yours,” Yoongi glared up at him, but there was no malice behind it. “So get on with it, this shot won’t wait forever.” _I thought you didn’t want to be doing shots?_

“ _Fine._ Thank you all. I look forward to getting to know you all better. Please take care of me,” Namjoon bowed, then lifted the glass. “Cheers!”

They all downed their second shots and settled down, breaking off into groups as conversation started up around the table. Jimin usually would have talked to Jongdae, but he seemed to enjoy chatting with Yoongi and Namjoon, so Jimin turned instead to Youngjae, doing his best to avoid the two. Also, he was still a little salty - though definitely not _jealous_ \- about Namjoon and Jongdae.

“How are things with JB? It’s been a couple years now, right?” Jimin didn’t know a lot about Youngjae, but he at least knew JB was his soulmate, so he did his best to make conversation. Based on the way the guys eyes lit up, he had picked the right topic.

“Yeah! We’re actually thinking about getting married soon. We both have stable jobs at this point, we’re soulmates, and we just don’t see any point in waiting any longer. He actually already proposed,” Youngjae blushed and held up his left hand, revealing a thick gold band. Jimin’s jaw dropped, any thoughts about the guy sitting across from him almost completely forgotten ( _almost)_. The news was completely unexpected, and he felt a momentary twinge of guilt for that, relatively certain Hobi-hyung probably knew.

“Wha- why didn’t you guys announce it? How did he ask? Oh my goodness, wait, let me pour another shot, we are drinking to this,” Jimin grabbed the soju bottle (frankly kinda glad to have an excuse to keep drinking. He might be a lightweight, but damnit, Yoongi being _right there_ was just too much, and he was annoyed with everything anyway and just - he didn’t want to be sober anymore). Topping off their glasses, the two downed their third shots of the evening before Youngjae proceeded to explain JB’s elaborate scavenger hunt proposal that had happened just a few days earlier. The conversation eventually meandered to other things, and the two found themselves laughing over unexpected common interests (why the Hulk could beat anyone in a fight sparked a hot debate amongst those around them, the two defending the superhero until the bloody end).

After a few more shots, however, Jimin was feeling light, tipsy, and an itching urge to dance. Turning to Jongdae to insist that the elder go out on the dance floor with him, he overheard the conversation between him and the two Jimin had temporarily managed to forget about.

“Wait, what? You rap underground too?” he cut off whatever Jongdae had been about to say, turning to Yoongi. The elder looked slightly shocked that Jimin had spoken to him, and the latter belatedly realized that he had been avoiding doing just that as Yoongi’s face immediately closed off. _Shit, shit, shit._

“Uhm, yeah. Namjoon and I have been friends since high school and we got into it together. I actually work for BigHit now, though, as a producer and lyricist,” Yoongi shrugged, still looking a bit uncomfortable.

“What? BigHit? Why didn’t you go for a bigger company, like Namjoon-sunbae? SM is _way_ better than BigHit,” Jimin was genuinely curious, and the liquid courage burning in his veins helped him forget that that was maybe not the best thing to ask if he was trying to get Yoongi to _not_ hate him (sober Jimin would later scold him).

Yoongi simply snorted and rolled his eyes, “Yeah, sure. SM has a lot of cookie cutter idols that prance around on their puppet strings. I make _real_ music. BigHit may be small, but I’ve known Bang Hitman for a long time, and the stuff he produces is legit, unlike the shit that comes out of SM.”

This, of course, resulted in an uproar from the table full of SM employees, and Yoongi proceeded to get in a slightly drunken, heated debate about the varying quality of various music companies. Some actually agreed with Yoongi, some were diehard SM supporters, and still others took the middle ground, claiming companies such as YG or JYP were actually superior to either BigHit or SM. By the end, however, everyone was chuckling and taking more shots, tempers slowly cooled by the soothing flow of alcohol and easy laughter. Jimin found himself in the middle of a conversation with Yoongi, the elder also having cooled off a bit with the alcohol, and the younger having overcome a bit of the initial panic.

“Okay, and what was with that pink haired dick earlier?” Jimin grumbled into his beer, barely noticing Yoongi nearly choking on his own alcohol at that comment.

“Wha- G-Dragon?” Yoongi sputtered, schadenfreudic glee twisting his features. Jimin nodded, oblivious to a certain presence that had appeared behind him. “I mean, yeah, he’s an ass. But what’d he do to tickle _your_ pickle?”

“He was _rude_. And, and… fake?” Jimin was trying to remember what specifically had bothered him. He just remembered that he _was_ bothered.

“It’s _more_ rude to talk shit behind the back of someone you don’t know a _thing_ about, Sunshine,” the voice came from right next to his ear, but he was too sluggish to startle, instead slowly glancing up at the man with the shock of pink hair. He snorted.

“Even _drunk_ I can tell you’re the type to meddle in other people’s crap,” Jimin thought back to the beginning of the night, finally remembering, albeit somewhat fuzzily, what had bothered him. “And it didn’t take knowing me for you to brush me aside so rudely.” G-Dragon didn’t say anything for a moment, but his eyes narrowed and he seemed to be studying Jimin, before he turned to Namjoon.

“It’s him, isn’t it?” he jerked his thumb at Jimin before turning back, grinning. “You’re perceptive, kid, I’ve been paying attention to you. And I appreciate someone that can call out people’s shit, when necessary. You’ll really need that skill someday, trust.” G-Dragon twisted slightly to wink at Yoongi - who was a lovely shade of scarlet at this point - as he said this. “You’re right, I do like to meddle, and I do a damn good job of it, actually. Also, I’m G-Dragon, by the way, and you’ll probably see a lot more of me in the future.” He shook the hand of a thoroughly confused - the alcohol really wasn’t helping - Jimin, before bouncing off into the crowd once again.

“That fucking-”

“Okay, am I way more drunk than I thought, or was that guy a total weirdo?” Jimin cut off Yoongi’s rant before it could begin, and the elder seemed to deflate slightly, eyeing Jimin warily from across the table.

“Nope. He’s a weirdo. But apparently he likes you.” Yoongi sighed. “And that’s probably a good thing, because once I saw him encounter someone he _really_ didn’t like, and you don’t want to _know_ what happened.” The elder shuttered.

“Ah… Okay…” Jimin wasn’t sure what to say, suddenly becoming starkly aware of the fact that he was sitting across the table from _Yoongi_ , chatting nonchalantly about some stranger that Yoongi seemed to know all too well, and he was hit by how odd it was. Some of the initial panic rose in his chest, and before it could truly set in, he desperately turned to Jongdae, who had gone back to chatting with Namjoon, poking him in the ribs.

“Sunbae, let’s go dance. And you guys should come too,” he added, turning to Namjoon and Yoongi. Neither seemed like the type for it, but he felt that he should be polite, and also, he may or may not be slightly interested in the idea of dancing with Yoongi. Interacting with the guy terrified him, yet he couldn’t bring himself to stop.

He was surprised when Namjoon jumped up, eyes bright, and began tugging on the elder’s shirt.

“Hyung, hyung, come on, this’ll be really fun. Let’s go dance.” Namjoon had begun bouncing on the balls of his feet, and Jimin wondered just how much he and Jongdae had had to drink while he wasn’t paying attention. The guy seemed _way_ loose.

“Oh my gosh, did you say you were going to dance? Can I come?” Youngjae piped up from Jimin’s right.

“Sure! Come on, Jongdae-sunbae, let’s gooo,” Jimin began shoving the slightly reluctant elder out of the booth, and eventually the only one still sitting was Yoongi, who had refused to budge. Namjoon seemed to still be trying to convince him, but gave up after a moment, making a face.

“Fine. But if that song comes on, you better get up and join us,” Namjoon shook his finger sternly, and Yoongi seemed to turn a darker shade of red.Jimin was extremely curious, but didn’t ask. Yoongi’s face seemed to promise murder.

“Why the fuck would that come on at a bar? Go dance.” Yoongi shooed him away, and the group moved to the dance floor.

It didn’t take long for everyone to realize that although Namjoon was the most enthusiastic about dancing, the only one that was _maybe_ worse than him was Jongdae. And Jongdae couldn’t dance. At all. Jimin and Youngjae, after eventually getting over the initial shock and tears from laughter, were putting their years of practice to good use and busting some moves, Jimin especially eliciting a few wolf whistles from the surrounding crowd. Blushing at first from the attention, he eventually simply allowed himself to get swept up in the music and rhythm of his own body.

Occasionally, he would glance back. Yoongi was one of the only ones left at the table, and Jimin still had a clear view of it, but every time he checked, he felt a small twinge of disappointment. For some reason, perhaps it was the alcohol, he had thought that _maybe_ the elder would glance his way. Perhaps it would be one of those magical movie moments, where he could catch Yoongi staring, and hold eye contact as he body rolled or something… maybe entice the elder to come dance with him. Just… _something_ . Anything. Anything to indicate that _maybe_ Yoongi had some kind of interest in him. Because what if his suspicions were correct? What if he had somehow ended up in a one-sided soulmate situation? What if he really _wasn’t_ Yoongi’s soulmate, even though Yoongi was his? What if everything he had hoped for, waited for, agonized over his entire life… wasn’t meant to be? He snapped his head away, closing his eyes.

 _No. I won’t end up like them. I don’t want to. I want Yoongi. I want my_ soulmate. _Somehow… somehow this is going to work out._

 

***

 

“So, wait, let me get this straight. You made me hang out with you today, despite us hanging out a couple days ago… just to get Yoongi out of the house and socializing. But then you found out his soulmate would probably be there. And Joon knows. _And_ you told G-Dragon about the whole situation?” Jin nodded, blowing on his cup of tea. “Damn… and I thought Hoseok was the devious one.”

“Well, he is. But that’s why he and I are friends,” Jin grinned. “You know, it’s funny, I think the only one who realizes that Hoseok and I hang out is Taehyung. He often comes along, actually, but, the kid is a sweetheart, and he keeps his mouth shut about these things.” Jin chuckled, “I don’t think Jimin even realizes that his best friend and I are close. And I don’t think he knows how far back Joonie and Hoseok go, or that Hoseok has actually met Yoongi before.” Jin cocked his head to the side thoughtfully. “He would probably be upset, actually. But Hoseok isn’t dumb, and there was nothing he could do, so he just stayed out of it. Hence why I’m the one being devious this time around,” Jin sighed contentedly. “Hyosang, I understand why Hoseok and G-Dragon like to pull the strings like they do. It’s entirely too fun.”

Hyosang shook his head, the corner of his lips tugging up into a disbelieving smile. “Just remember to not get too involved. Those two need to figure out their own shit. They’re soulmates, I’m sure it’ll work out.”

“I know. I just like helping them with a little shove in the right direction, occasionally.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Take a moment to appreciate yourself. If you are reading this, I actually genuinely appreciate you. A lot. *Huggles* <3


	17. Fall 2014

“Oh my god, you did _not_.”

“Oh but I did,” Jin groaned, slamming his head into the table and spilling his coffee in the process. “Shit, shit, shit.” He scrambled to pick it up, the red already flushing his ears now spreading to the rest of his face.

He had called Hyosang, his best friend, the day after the soulmate incident and demanded that they meet up after work the following Monday. Upon arrival, he had promptly experienced a small panic attack, explained the events at the bar, and proceeded to spill his coffee. Overall, he thought he was off to a pretty good start.

“Kim Seokjin,” Hyosang sighed when the mess was all cleaned up. “I don’t give half a fuck if he was making out with another guy. People get lonely waiting on _the one_ . You should have at least left him your number or a note or _something_ .The poor guy was probably _drunk_. How the hell are you going to find him now?”

“Ah, well, about that...” Jin cleared his throat nervously. “I know who he is.”

“What? How?”

“Ever heard of Rap Monster?” Jin winced as he watched the other’s eyes widen in recognition. Yeah. He had expected that.

“You’re joking,” Hyosang breathed.

“Nope. I really wish I was, but nope.”

“Why?” he demanded.

“What do you mean, why? Do I _look_ like the soulmate of a _rapper?_ Like, his stuff is cool or whatever, but I’m way too awkward, and, and- _domestic_ . I’m opening a cute _cafe_ , for crying out loud. This guy is way too _cool_ for me. I mean, I may be _handsome_ , but the underground rap scene isn’t exactly my thing,” Jin scoffed. So, yeah, okay, he was annoyed that the universe had paired him with someone like Rap Monster. Because, what the heck, universe? He wanted someone to cuddle with, and go on cute dates with, that he could spoil and pamper, and have the same done for him, and just be... just be goddamn adorable with. _Rap Monster_ didn’t really fit the bill.

“Well, you never know till you try, right?” Hyosang frowned. “You _are_ going to try, right?”

Jin sighed, resting his chin on his forearms. “Yeah, I am. I wasn’t a _complete_ idiot that night. I actually put my contact info into the phones of the bar owners and sent them texts asking them not to tell Rap Monster. It felt _really_ weird, but they seemed to know each other, so I figured why not. Also, I bet they can get me into a gig of his or something.”

Hyosang grinned. “Well damn, look at you. Have you texted them since?”

“Not yet,” Jin hesitated, “I, uh, I actually didn’t tell Jungkookie about any of this, and I really can’t do this alone, so I wanted to ask if you would come with me, first.”

“Oh,” Hyosang’s grin widened. “Jungkook is gonna _murder_ you when he finds out, you know.”

“Yeah, I know, but he would give me endless shit for wimping out like I did. So, you down to go to a gig or what?”

“Hell yeah. But don’t tell Jungkook I was involved. I prefer _life_ and I would rather not be found guilty by association,” Hyosang teased. Jin just rolled his eyes as he pulled out his phone. He hesitated before opening a conversation with T.O.P. (he had _talked_ to G-Dragon, but T.O.P. had looked like he knew Rap Monster, and besides, G-Dragon seemed a bit… well, just like he wouldn’t be the most helpful).

“What do I say?” Jin rocked back in his seat, uncertain.

“Hey, I’m the weirdo that put my number in your phone and ran away from your friend as soon as I found out he was my soulmate because rappers just _aren’t_ my type.”

Jin didn’t deem that worthy of a response, and simply glowered until Hyosang gave in with a sigh.

“I don’t know, Jinnie. Maybe just a friendly ‘Hey.’ Maybe apologize and explain that you just panicked but want to make things right? I’m sure if you explain, they won’t bite your head off, and if they’re friends with him they’ll probably want to help, if not for your sake, at least for his.”

Jin opened his mouth, then closed it. Well. That could work.

He looked down at his phone, fingers hesitating over the keys. Hyosang nudged him, and smiled encouragingly. The guy liked to push his buttons, but at the end of the day, he was Jin’s best friend for a reason. Finally mustering up some courage, he typed out a long text, running it by Hyosang before finally pushing the send button.

“I really hope this all works out.”

“I hope so too, Jinnie.”

 

***

 

Jin wasn’t entirely sure what to say. Was there a handbook for this sort of thing? Probably not. Because people don’t usually _have_ to deal with three adult men in full footie pajamas appearing in their living rooms surrounded by stuffed animals, and… wait. Were they cut open _?_

“Wha- What are you doing?” Jin managed to choke out. Okay, that one was _definitely_ missing its head.

 _Breathe, Seokjin. It’s okay… it’s okay. There’s probably a perfectly reasonable explanation for… for whatever this is._ _This_ wasn’t exactly what he had been expecting to find when he arrived home.

One of the three - he recognized him as Taehyung, Hoseok’s soulmate from the evening at the bar - jumped up, Totoro ears flapping and box grin shining from under the hood of the baggy grey onesie.

“Hyung! Don’t worry, there’s a perfectly reasonable explanation for this,” he flapped his hand confidently. _Oh, thank god._ “We were praying to the Ghibli gods!” Taehyung’s eyebrows scrunched and his fists clenched, and his look of childlike determination would have been almost adorable - except what the actual fuck. “Miyazaki isn’t even in his eighties yet, and this is like, his fifth ‘retirement,’” Tae made quote marks in the air and rolled his eyes - as if _that_ was the most ridiculous thing being discussed right now - “and we don’t think he should stop putting his glorious mind to use, and so we figured if we sacrificed some fresh plushies - of the highest quality, I might add. You don’t skimp when it comes to the _Ghibli gods_ -” _Right. Of course. Perfectly reasonable_ \- “then they might accept our humble request.”

Jin took a deep breath. Then another. Blinked. Looked at the other two men rather incredulously. How the heck had he gotten _Jungkook_ to participate in th- oh wait, no, Jungkook had pulled out the pikachu footie pajamas. If it had come that far, then nothing was too ridiculous for his little brother.

“Sacrifices… to the Ghibli gods. Right. Uhm… why?” Jin’s mind was still reeling (the freaking _pikachu_ pajamas were out, how did this even…) but then it dawned on him that he didn’t recognize the third guy sitting in his living room wearing… was that a Jiji onesie? He was relatively certain Jiji was the cat that wore the little red bow.

“It worked in Percy Jackson!” Jiji-pajamas piped up, eyes disappearing behind huge cheeks when he smiled. Jin had to resist an overwhelming urge to go pinch them.

“Uhm, those weren’t sacrifices in the same sense, I don’t think. They cut open stuffed animals to read omens or something,” Jin pointed out. “Also… that was a work of fiction, and that guy was crazy...”

But the boys had stopped listening to him at that point, instead indignantly rounding on a now very defensive and very pink Jiji-pajamas.

“Oh my god, Park Jimin-” so that was his name - “I did _not_ sacrifice my No Face plushy for _nothing_ ,” Jungkook breathed. Jin resisted the urge to scream.

“You aren’t even _in_ a Ghibli related onesie, you were messing up the feng shui of the whole thing anyway!” Jimin pointed an accusing finger back at him, and Jungkook gasped.

“I _told_ you, I watched _every_ Miyazaki film in this thing, it’s absorbed enough Ghibli chi that it may as well _be_ Ghibli related!”

“Guys, woah, hey. Hold up. Isn’t Miyazaki working on Kemushi no Bono right now anyway?” Jin cut in before things could get ugly. He knew how Jungkook could get when the Pikachu onesie was out.

“WHAT.” All three hooded heads turned to him in unison and Jin couldn’t decide if it was creepy or adorable.

“Yeah… some CGI film about a caterpillar or something. It was announced recently. How did you _not_ know about this?” The three sat in stunned silence for a moment before Taehyung solemnly turned to the other two.

“It worked. Praise unto the Ghibli gods, for they have heard our prayers.” He lifted his arms and tipped his head back, eyes closed, before suddenly springing forward, and the movement was quickly followed by a cacophony of screeching and jumping from all three. Jin gave up, at this point, escaping down the hall and into his room before he could get dragged down into what was quickly devolving into a cuddle fest (Taehyung had flung himself on top of the other two).

 

***

 

**To: Hoseokie**

So… I just entered my apartment to find Tae, Jungkookie, and some guy named Park Jimin sacrificing _plushies_ to the “Ghibli gods”

 

**From: Hoseokie**

Lemme guess…

it was Jiminie’s idea, but Tae was the one leading the cult?

 

**To: Hoseokie**

Yup.

Jungkook came this (>”)> close to fighting Jimin, but I think Tae helped me smooth things out and it all ended in lots of loud noises and cuddling.  

 

**From: Hoseokie**

Sounds about right

I noticed Jimin rereading Heroes of Olympus the other day. Tho, I think that boy needs someone to kick his ass every once in awhile

Oh, but, hes a sweet kid

Mostly sunshine and smiles, dont worry. And he seems to have taken it upon himself to push as many of Jungkook’s buttons as he can.

 

**To: Hoseokie**

Oh good, someone to make Kookie squirm. I already like him 

Btw, wanna come over for dinner?

It looks like they’ll be here for a while, and I need at least _one_ other sane adult in this house.

 

**From: Hoseokie**

Sure, I’m just wrapping up at the studio anyway. Food would be fantastic.

 

**To: Hoseokie**

Alright. Head on over whenever you’re done

I think I just heard screaming, so hopefully the building is even still standing when you arrive

 

**From: Hoseokie**

Oh trust me, this is normal behavior.

Lololol

GOOD LUCK AND WELCOME TO THE FAMILY. See yah soon >w<

 

**To: Hoseokie**

Jesus…

Alright, hurry.

Please.

See yah (>~<)

 

***

 

“I’m a grown-ass man, I can make my own decisions.”

Jin watched, with slight concern and copious amounts of consternation, as Jungkook stomped his foot like a bratty child, look complete with pikachu ears flapping and tail flopping about.

“Jungkook… You have _school_ tomorrow. Tae has a job. And so does Jimin.” Jin noticed Hoseok open his mouth as if to contend this statement, then snapped it shut a moment later, seeming to think better of it and instead playing with his food. _Good._

“But _hyung_ , I promise we won’t even stay up all night. I _never_ have sleepovers, come o-on,” Jungkook dragged out the last syllable and Jin struggled to wrap his mind around the fact that he was _actually_ having this conversation with an _actual_ twenty year old man. It was a Monday night. Any _responsible_ adult wouldn’t be having sleepovers in footie pajamas on a Monday night.

At least there was Jimin. Jimin was the only one that seemed hesitant (Hoseok didn’t count because he wasn’t included in this sleepover business _and_ he lacked the onesie anyway) and although he was the one that had the ridiculous idea of sacrificing plushies to begin with, dinner with all of them revealed Jimin to be the most mature of the three. Well maybe. Taehyung seemed the _least_ mature, and definitely the most spacey, but there were sometimes these moments where Jin questioned if he simply _acted_ like he was a spacecase. The jury was out on that one, though, so for now, Jimin got the shining title of Mature One.

“I - I don’t think I can sleepover, Jungkookie-” right on cue. It was like the kid had read his mind - “Jin’s right, I have work. I can’t show up to the office running on no sleep.”

Jimin seemed to shrink in his seat as Jungkook glared at the betrayal, but Tae piped up before the younger could focus on it for too long.

“I work with kids, so even without any sleep - and trust me, I’ve been there - they give me all the energy I need to get through the day. I’ll make sure Jungkook doesn’t stay up too late, though. Promise. _Please_ , hyung?”

Jin huffed, but exchanged a glance with Hoseok. The guy was younger, and they had just met a few days prior, but Jin found himself trusting his judgement. The small nod he received was ultimately the deciding factor.

“Fine. Fine, but I swear to God, if you two are loud-”

“We won’t be!” they chorused, already bouncing in their seats.

“-I will personally kick you _both_ out. Alright?” Jin tried to mask his smile of amusement at the two nodding enthusiastically, Pikachu and Totoro ears swinging wildly. _Grown-ass men my caboose._

 

***

 

They had finished dinner, and Jin listened with interest as Hoseok bantered back and forth with Jimin, the two still lounging at the table. It hadn’t taken long for him to realize that Jimin was actually _Hoseok’s_ closest friend, not Tae’s, as he initially thought.

“You’re such a child, you know that?” Hoseok teased, feigning exasperation. Jin glanced back from washing dishes at the sink in time to catch Jimin shoving the elder’s shoulder lightly, trying and failing to hold back a smile. He had a nice smile. Where Tae’s was goofy, and Hoseok’s was knowing, Jimin’s smile seemed just… bright. Genuine. Sunshine-y.

“It was _fun_ , okay? If anything, this reflects weirdly on _you_ , hyung. Both your soulmate _and_ your best friend are like this. If we’re children, you’re a pedophile,” Jimin’s tone was marked by mock disgust, and Jin had to hold back a snort of laughter. The guy had a point.

“Woah there, I’m offended. And I can _see_ you chuckling, Jin-hyung.” The elder in question twisted back to flash Hoseok a grin before return to the dishes. “And you know what, who says I’m not also a child, huh?”

“A child wouldn’t be that beast in bed!” Taehyung’s lavender head momentarily popped up from the couch where he and Jungkook were playing video games. Jimin slapped his hand over his mouth as he burst into giggles, and Jungkook turned wide eyes on Taehyung as the elder added in a stage whisper, “Dancer skills. Hot damn, those hips.”

“But hyung, we’re _all_ dancers,” Jungkook pointed out. Then, almost as an afterthought, “Well, except Jin-hyung.”

There was a moment of silence before Jimin and Hoseok’s laughter brought heat to Jin’s face, and Jungkook’s took on a similar shade of scarlet as well, realizing the implications of his statement. Jin held up pruny hands, stopping the younger as he attempted to sputter out an apology.

“Nope. You know what, it’s okay. Dancer. Not dancer. I don’t care, because at the end of the day, I’m still taller, broader shouldered, and prettier than all of you, so who’s the real winner here? If any amongst you believes he can rival this shoulder width, may he please rise now.” Jin raised his eyebrows and looked around, daring anyone to try.

All eyes fell on Jungkook as the younger man straightened in his seat. A moment of silent magnitude, an air of anticipation, of hope. It was almost palpable, the slightly rebellious and almost bloodthirsty mood that had reared its ugly head, seeming to pit brother against brother. Everyone seemed to lean forward, awaiting the moment that Jungkook would rise and stake his claim as the rightful bearer of those titles. He opened his mouth, and -

“Wait, what? You guys aren’t seriously expecting _me_ to fight him on that?” Jungkook looked around, bemused. “Guys, I’m his _brother_ , and I’m not a complete dumbass. Have you _seen_ his shoulders? Hell no.” Jungkook threw his hands in the air and leaned back, effectively shattering the previous moment, whatever the heck that was.

“Well,” Jimin laughed. “Now that I’m feeling terribly emasculated by someone who for all the world seemed more like a mother figure…” Jimin simply winked at the glare Jin shot him, “I’m gonna head out. It really is getting late and I really do have work tomorrow.” He rose and gathered his things, still in that adorable Jiji onesie, before moving towards the entrance. As he passed the couch, Jin caught the coy smile Jimin plastered on his face before leaning forward and whispering something in Jungkook’s ear. Jin watched with interest as his little brother’s neck turned an alarming shade of red, and he shoved a giggling Jimin away. Clearly satisfied with this response, Jimin finally opened the front door, called, “See you cuties later! Thanks for having us, Jin-hyung! Byyye” and then was gone.

Finally finished at the sink, Jin wiped his hands on a rag hanging from the oven handle before dropping into the seat across from where Hoseok was still lounging at the table. They both eyed each other warily before bursting into laughter.

“Oh my god, what the heck. Should I normally expect such dramatic evenings with you guys around?” Jin grinned and Hoseok leaned forward, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Does that mean we should expect to be here more often?” he smiled coyly, tipping his head to one side. Jin rolled his eyes at the display.

“So that’s where Jimin gets it from,” Jin teased. “But, nah, really,” he dropped his voice to a low murmur so the two in the living room wouldn’t overhear, “you guys should come more often. I haven’t seen Jungkook act this childish in years.” Hoseok raised his eyebrows in surprise, and Jin shrugged. “I know, childish can be annoying, but I always kinda worried about the kid. He always tried to act more mature than he really was, and he’s definitely an obnoxious asshole sometimes, but this is the first time I’ve seen him _genuinely_ acting young, and not just acting cute to get something from me. I think it’s sorta my fault, too. I’m five years older than him, so he’s always trying to play catch-up. Even now, he’s going to college, and he already knocked out his years of military service, but I know he isn’t going to be happy on the path he’s on. The kid should be pursuing dance or music or something. He’s always been stupidly gifted in the arts, but he’s trying to please our parents. And I know I don’t help in that department either, because I pursued acting, but now here I am opening a cafe soon instead. Not exactly a shining example of an art student if I didn’t end up pursuing a career in acting in the end anyway.” Jin sighed and slumped forward. A gentle touch at his shoulder made him look up, and a shock went through him when he was hit by the fact that he had more or less spilled his guts to someone he had only known a few days. Scrambling backward, he attempted desperately to backtrack, only to be stopped by a knowing, though not at all unkind smile and a hand on his arm.

“Jin-hyung. It’s okay. I understand being worried. I worry about Tae, too, and I’m glad he’s got Jungkook for the same reason. Well, similar at least. Tae really is the embodiment of sunshine and daisies, but even the sun has its dark days and flowers can wilt, and sometimes I forget that.” Hoseok pursed his lips thoughtfully, “Jimin and I always joke about how we’re soulmate besties, and somehow I think Tae has that with Jungkook, as well. Though, you know they’ve been friends for years? I’m surprised that you weren’t aware of it, all considered.”

Jin blinked. “What are you talking about, of course I’ve _known_ about Tae. I just had never met him. I’ve never seen them together, so I had no idea Jungkook could be like this still.”

Now it was Hoseok’s turn to look at him in confusion. “Wait, what? If it’s been years, how have you never met?”

Jin shrugged, unsure why he could feel a blush creeping up his neck, “Well, I _am_ five years older than him. They met in high school, and by then I was already out of the house and in college. When I visited home it was usually family time, or Jungkook would come out with me and my friends that he knew. And Jungkook only just came to live with me this school year. So yeah… it just kinda added up to me not really meeting his friends until more recently.”

“Oh. Well. I guess that makes sense.” Jin shrugged, but caught the way Hoseok’s eyes narrowed. He wasn't sure he liked the way he could see the wheels turning in Hoseok's mind.

“So, hyung. Speaking of meeting Tae for the first time... I’ve been curious. Not that it’s any of my business, but… why _did_ you leave early the other night?”

“I-”

“And I know it wasn’t that you weren’t feeling well, because we _all_ saw you sprint out of the place like the devil himself was after you. Though, I don’t know, maybe he was, considering that I’m pretty sure that was Rap Monster I saw sprinting after you.”

Jin sat very still for a moment, weighing his options. He could deny that it was Rap Monster, deny that he even knew he was being chased - not that he expressly _had_ know that, anyway. He was only relatively certain, because he had escaped the moment he unfroze time, and Rap Monster had still been glued to the other guy with his goddamn _tongue_ down his throat, and Jin had thought he heard pursuit, but mixed in with the other sounds of the bar, he hadn’t been entirely sure.

He could deny it. Or tell Hoseok to fuck off. Or he could fess up. Admit everything. Desperately ask for help, advice.

_What would a real man do?_

“Oh my gosh, okay, yes, that was Rap Monster, but I couldn’t deal with him at the time, because how does someone deal with Rap Monster being their soulmate, and gosh darnit, I was trying to keep all this on the down-low, and now Kookie’s gonna murder me for lying, and honestly, what’s a guy supposed to do, and then I mean, T.O.P, but he told me to text G-Dragon about it instead, but, like, really? G-Dragon? Ugh, and then I forgot to text him anyway, and I need to do that, because I need to go see a concert, because I ran away, and I didn’t even exactly _talk_ to Rap Monster, and who the heck calls himself Rap Monster anyway? That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard, and he’s a stupid rapper, and oh my gosh I just rambled at you and probably none of that made sense so I’m going to stop talking now and oh god, please don’t tell Jungkook.” Jin pressed his lips into a line, both embarrassed and horrified at the absolute _word vomit_ he had just spouted.

“Actually, this makes a lot more sense now. So, lemme see if I’ve got this straight. Rap Monster is your soulmate, and you found that out when we were at the bar, but for some reason you felt the need to escape, so you ran away, but you knew who Rap Monster was, so you texted T.O.P. about it and T.O.P. told you to go to G-Dragon - which, by the way, was a good idea, because G-Dragon is far more adept in this field - but you have since forgotten to text G-Dragon, and to top it all off, you’re hoping to go to a performance, but also need to keep Jungkook from finding out any of this. Yeah?” Hoseok grinned, and Jin had to keep his jaw from swinging off its hinges. “Don’t look so surprised, I’m an excellent listener. Though, do you usually just kinda… run on like that? That’s the second time tonight.” A bemused smile tugged at the corner of the younger’s lips. “Not that I’m complaining.”

“Uhm. Maybe. Not usually. Depends? Usually just with Hyosang.” Jin awkwardly scratched the back of his head. “Oh, and Hyosang is _my_ soulmate bestie. So yeah. No, I don’t usually embarrass myself to totally strangers,” he paused, “well, okay, maybe I do, but not usually like _that_.”

Hoseok chuckled, “Yeah, I remember those dance moves. But alright, so, that’s what happened. Want help? I’m always down to go to a rap performance, and I’ve been meaning to go to one of Rap Monster’s anyway.”

Jin brightened, then narrowed his eyes, “Wait, but then wouldn’t Tae hear about it, and by extension Jungkook?”

“I feel like you’re always suspicious of me,” Hoseok grinned and rolled his eyes good naturedly. “No. Tae may seem like an airhead, but he wouldn’t be my soulmate if he was. He’s one of the most observant people I know - and that’s really saying something, considering _I’m_ one of the most observant people I know - but unlike me, he generally just keeps it to himself. He’s the one that distracted Jungkook when we saw you leave, which is why Jungkook doesn’t know about Rap Monster already. So yeah, Tae would hear about it, in fact, he’d be down to come, but he wouldn’t tell Jungkook. Don’t worry.”

Jin considered this for a moment before giving in, nodding. “Alright, yeah, actually, it would be really nice to have back up. It was originally just gonna be me and Hyosang. Well, if I even get help from G-Dragon,” Jin frowned. “We’ll see. I’ll text him in the morning and let you know what’s up.”

“Alrightie, I’m excited now,” Hoseok clapped his hands together, his cheshire smile coming out. “Though, I’ve been wondering. Why _don’t_ you just tell Jungkook?”

Jin looked at him solemnly for a moment before reaching out and placing his hand atop the younger’s. “Hoseok. There’s something you need to understand _very_ quickly if you’re going to stick around. Jungkook sometimes couldn't care less about respect and age, and that kid goes to the gym way too much, and has way too many muscles. One does not simply sneak around Jungkook and get caught without suffering dire consequences.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> xD Oh man oh man oh man. This chapter. Such a joy to write. I needed some fluff in my life, honestly.  
> But, yeah... I don't have much to say. WINGS got me messed up, but then, same with literally the entire fandom.  
> Oh and I love your comments <3 Sometimes they bring me so much joy that I take a screenshot and send it to my beta reader and just have MAJOR spaz attacks over how much I love and appreciate all your love and appreciation. It's SO incredibly reassuring to actually get feedback from you all. Sometimes I worry a Lot, but then someone comments and I'm like WAIT, YOU LIKED THAT, and it's just really nice. *sigh* Anyway. Jin gets his rambling from me. I'll stop now.  
> Love you all so much <3 Until next time ^-^ ~<3 -May


	18. Fall 2014

 

A haze of cigarette smoke hung lazily in the air, slowly melding with the dim lights above. The dull glint of countless piercings, the swirling depths of innumerable tattoos, and the sour scent of alcohol was overwhelming, and terrifying, and just a bit alluring in this room packed full of people. As the low bass pulsed through his chest, and a languid drop of sweat snaked its way down his back, Jin wondered, not for the first time that day, if this was a good idea.

The venue was larger than he anticipated, and quite literally underground. Sure, it was _sort of_ “a bar with a big stage,” but the bar was _upstairs_ (well, relatively) because there _was_ an upstairs (with booths and a dance floor and a balcony view), and the stage downstairs wasn’t exactly _small_ , and the area surrounding it resembled the general admissions section at a concert more than a dance floor. If Jin weren’t preoccupied with not losing sight of Hyosang and questioning his own life choices as they pushed through the crowd, he might dwell more on his annoyance at G-Dragon; not that he could _actually_ complain. Though he had grossly under-exaggerated the volume of it all, he had at least told Jin when and where to find it (though, only after what felt like a thorough screening. Jin still wasn’t sure why G-Dragon cared so much about knowing what the last book he read was and when he last called his mother…), so that was something. Also, he had promised to help Jin meet up with Rap Monster, at some point. The details on that were stressfully vague, and Jin had no idea what to expect, or when. All he knew was that he was here, and it was larger than he had anticipated and the calm (and just a little bit of excitement) that had settled in over that past two weeks of waiting was quickly evaporating, probably lost somewhere up there with all that smoke.

“Hyung!” At least he had a lifeline.

Catching sight of the box grin and flailing arms directed towards him, Jin shoved Hyosang towards the table where Taehyung and Hoseok were waiting for them. Both men heaved sighs of relief when they slipped into the booth, grateful to be free of the ebb and flow of the countless sweaty bodies that had surrounded them.

“Thank god you guys got here early. I swear I almost died a few times back there,” Hyosang groaned, rubbing a hand over his face. “Ah, also, I’m Jin Hyosang, nice to meet you.”

“I’m Hoseok,” Hoseok gave a little wave before gesturing to Tae. “And this is my boyfriend slash soulmate, Taehyung. It’s a pleasure.”

“Grand. And jesus, please tell me this beer is for me, because god I could use a drink,” Hyosang poked at the bottle in front of him, eyeing the condensation running down the side hopefully.

“Yeah, we figured you guys would want drinks when you got here,” Taehyung shrugged, a light smile playing across his lips.

“Bless your souls,” Jin murmured reverently, bringing his own bottle to his lips and taking a swig, reveling in the cool relief.

They still had a while to wait before the rappers came out, but Jin monitored how much he drank, careful not to overdo it. He wanted to be relatively sober when he met Rap Monster—though the part of him that had been internally screaming since arriving _desperately_ wanted to be anything _but_ sober when he met the guy.

Their table slipped into easy conversation, Hyosang curious to find out more about the duo that Jin had so easily agreed to have come along for such an important evening. They seemed to get along well, Jin noted, and time passed easily, though the alcohol probably also had something to do with that. With every beer, Hyosang became increasingly louder, but Taehyung and Hoseok both took it in stride. Jin, for the most part, only participated when prompted, the panic that had risen in his chest once again subsiding as he watched the room, this time from a distance rather than in the midst of the chaos.

There was something strangely lethargic about it all, though Jin couldn’t place why. There were people laughing and hollering, deafening music playing and glassing clinking, and it should have been jarring, yet it all seemed to blur into one loud hum, blanketing him in an almost soft layer of sound, the smoke in the air still gently swirling and the thrum of the music still vibrating through his chest. It engulfed him and yet he felt utterly detached, someone watching an unfamiliar scene through a window.

By all rights, he should have felt entirely out of place. He _was_ out of place amongst these people; people who came from a world unlike his own, bodies tattooed by both scars and ink, limbs pierced and hair varying shades of expressive. Many looked hardened, despite the easy flow of alcohol that loosened them, and he knew instinctively that he would never even begin to understand where they came from or what hardships they may have faced. It was different and strange, and if he were honest with himself, terrifying. Living on the streets, gangs, drugs, addicts, criminals. He had no idea.

The venue was large, though, and Rap Monster (and the guy performing before him— what was it, Suga?) was fairly popular. So _some_ of these people had to be like Seokjin. Simply interested fans, who came from the world above and lived relatively calm lives, and wanted to enjoy an evening out watching their favorite artist. He couldn’t be _entirely_ out of place, and that was enough for him. He could manage. It may not be his scene, but he was here and that was that.

And then his phone vibrated.

 

**From: G-Dragon Bartender**

Meet me at the bottom of the stairwell in 5. You can bring your friends.

 

***

 

Perhaps the strange feeling of calm that kept coming and going was entirely misplaced—the moments of panic that would flit through him seemed far more appropriate—but he couldn’t be bothered to care. He had always taken what he was given and worked with what he had, and this would be no different—even though what he currently had was an entirely new world of music pulsing at his feet and a very confused heat pooling in the pit of his stomach.

Suga (who Jin recognized as the guy who had been at the bar when he first encountered Rap Monster) had been good. They had all met G-Dragon downstairs (though, the continuously thickening crowd had resulted in something closer to ten minutes) and he had guided them as far forward as possible to watch the performances, and Suga had been good. Well, probably fantastic. But Jin couldn’t remember anymore. Or didn’t care to. Because the strange feeling coursing through him was undoubtedly a product of the tall, familiar figure now stalking across the stage, voice wrapping like a chain around his neck and working its way down his spine until he couldn’t move or speak or _breathe_.

His rapping wasn’t loud and fierce the way that Suga’s had been. The lights had lowered, and Rap Monster had slowly prowled forward and it was… dark. Intense. The verses would build and break, and it was far more subtle, yet it crashed through him, rattling and tightening the chains—and he wanted _more_ . It was as if he had been swallowed whole by this place, only so that he could be lulled into an uneasy haze and mesmerized by this figure—dark, unfamiliar, terrifying, _alluring._

The crowd all seemed to fall into a similar trance, swaying gently with the slow beat, yet transfixed by the intense flood of lyrics. The next song was almost even more intoxicating, laced with an almost desperate fervor this time, and somewhere in the back of his mind (behind the fog of smoke, music, and writhing desires) he wondered if he would actually suffocate. He wasn’t sure he would mind.

The daze continued throughout the performance, and he couldn’t remember when one song ended and the next began—the music never released him from its grip, transitioning smoothly from one song to the next. There were some he recognized, and he even found himself rapping along with a few (unsure if he was more pleased or embarrassed that he was even able to), but it didn’t lessen the affect the music had on him. Somehow, watching it live, watching the tall body move across the stage, watching the mouth that produced the lyrics spit them, was a completely different experience than the countless times he had listened to the mixtape in the past two weeks.

By the time the last note of the last song of the evening played and the stage was left empty, lights coming back up again, Jin was beginning to flounder into the murky depths of anger and panic.

He had _enjoyed_ that, that feeling of being utterly helpless to the voice that chained him in place. That fact alone sent him spiraling, recoiling from the idea that he might fall prey to a relationship with no foundation besides attraction, yet be unable to escape because of it as well. He had wanted to approach this open mindedly, but still level-headedly—not everyone ended up with their soulmate, and that was okay. But then his body (his mind? His soul? Him. He) betrayed him.

Jin was torn from his thoughts by a hand tugging on his arm. He look around, having almost forgotten that he was still amongst a crowd.

“Let’s go!” G-Dragon shouted to be heard above the noise of the countless bodies and the music that had replaced the live performance. As G-Dragon pulled him forward, T.O.P, who had been with G-Dragon when they met up, glanced at him with concern written into his features, and Jin realized he must look a bit sick. He certainly _felt_ sick.

“You okay?” The elder asked. Yup, he must look awful.

Jin just nodded, not feeling particularly capable of speech. Hyosang squinted at him, and Jin leaned away as the other leaned forward.

“You look kinda flustered. And you got really into it back there. I’ve never seen you rap before.” Oh _god_ , he had noticed. Jin hadn’t even stopped to consider that he was with his friends during that entire performance. Hyosang nudged his shoulder and winked. “Already falling for him, _hyung?_ ”

“Oh sweetie, you two are going to be even more perfect than I thought,” G-Dragon chuckled, shaking his head. And this was the problem.

What was G-Dragon’s twisted idea of perfect? Because the more he thought about it, the less Jin could agree. They came from different worlds, and Rap Monster’s lyrics, this venue, his stage presence, all of it had screamed _different_ and _dark_ and just a bit _dangerous_ , and not at all _Seokjin_ . He had wanted more than this. More than just some rapper. Rap Monster was mesmerizing and intense, but that wasn’t what he was looking for. Not even close. And how could he even begin to relate to someone so unlike himself, let alone date them or _marry_ them?

They had begun weaving through the crowd, and it was at the peak of his frustration that Jin realized it was just him and G-Dragon. He glanced around for the others, wondering if they had lost them in the crowd, but G-dragon seemed to notice his confusion.

“It’s just you and me. They’ll meet up with us after. You ready?”

“For what?” Jin’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion, and G-Dragon stared at him in disbelief. What… Oh. OH. Of course. “Oh. Right.”

“This is why you came, right?” They had reached the edge of the crowd, and Jin realized they were heading towards a door on the far right of the stage. For a moment, he forgot his frustration and felt a knot of nervousness clench in the pit of his stomach instead.

That’s right. He brought himself here. It wasn’t Rap Monster’s fault that Jin had been affected so profoundly. It wasn’t Rap Monster’s fault that they were soulmates. He had decided to show up unannounced, and he would deal with it.

“Yeah. I’m ready,” he nodded. That was probably a lie. He followed G-Dragon through the door anyway.

The first person he saw was short and blonde, dressed in tight black jeans and a baggy white hoodie. The guy looked simultaneously elated and exhausted—until he caught sight of them.

“Heya Suga.” A glare. “Oh calm down. Where’s he at?”

“Back there,” Suga tipped his head back toward the other side of the room before shifting his eyes towards Jin. A chill ran through him at the look Suga gave him. “You.”

Suga stalked forward, and despite being inches shorter, managed to make feel Jin feel infinitely smaller as he leaned forward to growl, “If you fucking hurt him, I will make you wish you had never left the fucking womb. You have no idea what a state you left him in.” Tipping back and turning to G-Dragon he grunted, “I’ve got places to be. See yah,” and stalked out.

What? If _he_ hurt _Rap Monster?_ The state _he_ had left him in? Indignation rose like bile in his throat as G-Dragon dragged him towards where the rapper was supposed to be, a worried look on the bar owner’s face.

So much for dealing with it. Jin wanted to yell. To cry. To maybe kick something. To shout at everyone because _he_ was the one who should be worried. _He_ was the one who encountered his soulmate wrapped in someone else’s arms, tongue shoved down their goddamn throat. When had _he_ become the bad guy? He came here of his own accord _despite_ all that, and _despite_ how much he doubted they could even work.

He didn’t have long to fester in his sudden rise of anger, however, because it only took a few moments to find who they were looking for. The guy was in the same dark clothing he had been in on stage, jeans ripped and hair held back by a snap back.

Based on Suga’s response to his presence, Jin was expecting some form of resentment, or hurt, or maybe flying accusations. He wasn’t sure, but he was already preparing his counter argument, hackles raised.

When Rap Monster turned around and saw them, however, Jin was left a bit confused and a lot breathless. Because after a brief look of surprise flitted across Rap Monster’s face, it was like the sun had come out, and Jin was seeing a lot of teeth and dimples and crinkling of eyes, and holy crap, was he _smiling?_ And then all of a sudden Jin was getting yanked into a hug and he wasn’t sure what to do because Rap Monster smelled vaguely of something familiar that Jin couldn’t quite place, but instantly felt like home. He seemed soft, and that dimple had been _cute_ and he had _smiled_ and they were _hugging_ and Jin was pretty sure he was clinging just as tightly as this guy was.

He was jolted back into reality when he suddenly got shoved off, and he looked up in dazed confusion. Rap Monster looked horrified, and Jin couldn’t understand _why_ (that hug was so unexpected and freaking _adorable_ that he hadn’t even had a chance to _try_ and hold onto his frustration) until he started babbling something that sounded like an apology.

“Stop.”

“I—what?” Rap Monster’s voice came out strangled, and he nervously lifted his hat to run a hand through his hair before tugging it back into place (a cute nervous habit?).

“Just. Uhm. Stop.” Jin suddenly wasn’t sure what to say, but he had always taken what he was given and worked with what he had, and this would be no different because this man’s first reaction had been to _beam_ and _hug_ him, and he had smelled like _home_ and that kind of thing doesn’t just _happen._ “I—I’m sorry. I left last time. I… Panicked? You were… uhm. Yeah. And I just. I got in contact with G-Dragon? So I came. But—I need to know.” And here Jin took a deep breath, stepped in closer, fisted his hands in Rap Monster’s shirt, and looked up at him. “Will you go on romantic dates with me? I want to go wine tasting, and out on picnics in the park, and I want to cuddle on rainy days, and decorate the house on holidays, and wear stupid matching ugly Christmas sweaters, and wash the dishes while you dry them, and wake up in the morning and not get out of bed except to make breakfast together and just be… just be goddamn domestic and cute and, and just—”

“God, yes, please, all of it,” Rap Monster choked out, wrapping his arms around Jin and tipping forward to rest their foreheads together. “I’m no good at cooking, and I’m clumsy, but I can do the laundry, and wax poetic at you about the sky or your eyes or anything really, and I would love to dry any dishes you wash, and I’ve always dreamed of matching couple sweaters and I actually already have a bookmark folder full of links to ones I thought were really cute, and I just really really want to be together, even though I think the universe must have fucked up because there’s no way I deserve a soulmate as beautiful as you.”

“I’m going to kiss you now,” Jin breathed, already tipping forward to close the space.

“Okay,” Rap Monster murmured just before their lips met. It wasn’t chaste, but it wasn’t desperate either, their lips slotting together easily, perfectly, and moving leisurely against each other. It was everything and nothing all at once, and Jin relaxed into it, allowing all of his worries to drain into the ground and his body to melt into his soulmate’s.

“Do you really have a bookmark folder full of links to matching couple sweaters?” Jin whispered against his lips, pulling back only just enough to flick his eyes upwards and watch as Rap Monster’s cheeks reddened and his eyes look anywhere but back at Jin.

“Uhm. Yes? I mean, I guess that’s weird, and we really don’t ever have to look at it, I can delete it as soon as I get home—” Jin cut him off with another kiss and a giggle.

“Oh god, you’re disgustingly perfect. Don’t you _dare_ delete that, we are _so_ getting matching sweaters for winter,” Jin grinned and watched with delight as Rap Monster reflected the expression, his dimple making an appearance once again. Jin suddenly gasped however, and pulled away, straightening himself out and putting on a serious expression. Rap Monster looked on in confusion, though he once again reflected Jin’s actions, standing taller and putting on a blank face. When Jin stuck out his hand, Rap Monster looked down it, very clearly puzzled about its current purpose.

“Annyeonghaseyo. My name is Kim Seokjin, but you can just call me Jin.” Rap Monster nodded solemnly and shook his hand.

“Annyeonghaseyo. I’m Kim Namjoon, but my friends usually call me Rapmon or Moni, because my stage name is Rap Monster. You can call me whatever you want, though.”

Jin wrinkled his nose, decidedly against both nickname options.

“Okay, then I’m calling you Joonie. Or Namjoonie. But I’m _not_ calling you Rapmon,” Jin shook his head, set on this one. His heart definitely did _not_ stutter when Namjoon grinned and that stupidly adorable dimple came out in full force once again. He looked young. Huh. “Wait, how old are you?”

“I’m twenty-three this year… and you are…?”

Jin allowed a satisfied grin to spread across his face, “Hah! I’m twenty-five this year.” He poked The Dimple, secretly pleased that it showed when Namjoon pouted too. “Call me hyung.”

“But Jiiiinnn, we’re soulmates,” Namjoon whined, and Jin was reminded that this was the same man who had been on stage earlier, utterly dominating his heart and soul. How it could possibly be the same person was beyond his comprehension.

“So? I’m your hyung, it’s respectful. Deal with it,” Jin shot back before lowering himself to Jungkook levels of childishness and sticking out his tongue. Namjoon stared at him blankly, and Jin panicked for a moment, but was quickly relieved by the younger’s burst of laughter.

“Hyung my ass. But fine, Jin- _hyung_. I will,” Namjoon rolled his eyes good naturedly before suddenly looking struck by something. “Did you come alone?”

Oh. Right. Friends. Those were a thing. Jin looked around, realizing G-Dragon must have left immediately after guiding him to Namjoon, and checked his phone, surprised to find it blank. T.O.P. and G-Dragon had probably filled everyone in on the plan. But still. He sent Hoseok and Hyosang texts, appreciative when they both responded quickly (though, Hyosang’s had way too many suggestive questions and winky faces for his liking).

“Ready to meet the family?” He deadpanned, turning to face Namjoon with the most serious face he could muster.

“Uh—what?” Namjoon looked taken aback.

“Totally kidding. Just my jerk best friend and some other cool people that managed to weasel their ways into my life recently. Come on, they’re waiting.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAAAA. Sorry. Author wants to be fought. I have multiple things to apologize for.  
> First and foremost, SORRY I DISAPPEARED FOR OVER A MONTH. Well, sorta. I'm still around on tumblr and stuff. But I haven't had any time (or motivation) to write since classes started .-. Shit sorta hit the fan this quarter and I've been drowning in personal and academic problems. I'm officially declaring that this won't be updated regularly because I just can't right now. But, I would never abandon this, so don't worry about that either... *sighs* Sorry everyone.  
> Secondly, I think I mixed up ages at the beginning, so here's a list of their proper ages:
> 
> Ages for Fall 2014 (* means their birthday hasn't passed yet, hence why they're a year younger than they seem like they should be )  
> *Jin - 24  
> Yoongi - 24  
> Hoseok - 23  
> Namjoon - 23  
> Jimin - 22  
> *Taehyung - 21  
> Jungkook - 20
> 
> Ages for Winter 2015  
> Jin - 26  
> Yoongi - 25  
> Hoseok - 24  
> Namjoon - 24  
> Jimin - 23  
> *Taehyung - 22  
> Jungkook - 21
> 
> SO ANYWAY. I hope that Namjin development sorta maybe made up for my total absence for so long. Dunno when the next update will be, but if you've stuck around so far... thank you ~<3 I'm sorry I can't promise better consistency orz Thinking about you guys who have stuck with me so far is really the only thing that keeps me going at all, though, so really... know that I love and appreciate you all so much ~<3


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